A recent survey on the development of data centers found that only 14% of the participants were not very concerned. “A hefty 75% majority overall responded that they would be either “very” concerned (41%) or “somewhat” concerned (34%).” Count me among that 14%.
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My thinking certainly flies in the face of the current trend. However, a little research and willingness to accept the facts as they are will lead most of us (some will never get it) in the same direction.
We all hear that the data centers use an enormous amount of water, which they do. In fact, a medium-size data center will use up to 110 million gallons of water per year, with an evaporative-style system, which is the most common. It is much less in a closed-loop style, but these are seen less often.
However, to get the true picture, you must compare that usage with something else, otherwise, you don’t know what it really means. A good comparison is an 18-hole golf course. If you look at the overall average in the U.S., water usage for golf courses is between “20 and 90 million gallons annually.” But we need to keep in mind that in the northern half of the country, these golf courses are only used half the year. The rest of the time, they are covered in snow! So the real comparison is with those golf courses in the Southern and Southwest U.S. Courses in arid or desert climates can use from 100 million to over 300 million gallons a year. So, yes, Data Centers use a lot of water, but so do 18-hole golf courses, and no one bats an eye about that!
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What’s that you say? What about the high electrical use? Well, let’s take a look. A large data center can draw 20 MW to 150+ MW. With the renewed push to manufacturing in the U.S., we should see quite a number of factories coming online in the next months and years. A foundation of a great deal of manufacturing is steel. A steel mill uses 25 MW to 200 MW. In fact, a steel mill uses even more power if you also consider fossil fuels for other needs. So, in total, a steel mill uses a lot more power than a data center.
So why all the fuss? First, we humans have a long history of concern about new technology, from the printed word to television. We can always count on a certain element to fear development. There is also pushback by some groups that oppose anything that is helpful to the United States, especially during the Trump Administration. Then there are the Chinese. Picture the Chinese as the defense back holding onto the jersey of the wide receiver that is starting to pull away to make a great catch. If the Chinese can do anything to slow us down, they will do so.
Ideally, the truth will come out. It will take a real effort to explain to the public the reality here. Right now, the trend is in the opposite direction. If it stays that way, then the winner could likely be Elon Musk (again). He is talking about building data centers in Space.
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