Couldn’t be worse. As Europe is hit by one of the worst droughts in its history, the Dutch press reacts to a damning report from the data centers. Last year, Microsoft’s giant data center in the north of the country swallowed 84 million liters of water, 4 to 7 times more than was initially announced by the Americans. Revealed by local media outlet Noordhollands Dagblad, which has been approved by the Dutch government, the incident raises many concerns.
The increase in water consumption is more worrying, because this year it may get even worse. Indeed, like many of the latest generation data centers, Microsoft uses ambient air to cool its servers. This technique, known as “air cooling”, makes it possible to achieve significant energy savings, as it limits the record to air conditioning only. But the outside temperature must be below 25 degrees to work. When the temperature rises, it is necessary to continue to cool the areas that are very sensitive to fluctuations. For this, Microsoft uses water cooling systems. And the hotter it is, the more data centers consume water. Last year, the temperature exceeded 25 degrees for six days in the corresponding region. By the summer of 2022, this fatal threshold has already been crossed six times since the beginning of August, according to data available on the weatheronline website.
Enough to fuel the debate about the environmental footprint of data centers. Currently, they would consume 4% of the world’s electricity production, according to Wavestone…thus indirectly contributing to global warming. The issue of energy efficiency is burning more than ever. But other questions arise, particularly related to the use of digital technologies, the consumption habits of each person.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.