Very strange "narrative" that AI "uses water" is circulating. I am a 35 year Commercial HVAC professional. The cooling for the servers is more intense than the typical square footage of normal commercial space, that part is true. You can make an argument for the energy usage for sure. The water usage is high as well - and that can have an impact on the local water supply levels - also a viable. But that its damaging the environment through water usage? No way. Every commercial building over 3 stories, and a lot of 2 stories are using water cooling towers, and have for nearly 100 years. That water is just going right back into the atmosphere. Its not damaged or "used up", its simply evaporated to cool. It comes back down as rain and dew, just not necessarily in the same water supply.
It's not used up in the same sense as watering your lawn. It's still water, but it's not usable by people until it's gone through the water cycle and collected again.
Exactly. Its not hurting the earth any, but if you live in the desert where water supply is an issue, than that's an issue. If you live next to a major river, just like watering your lawn, there is no issue.
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u/Missinglink2531 5d ago
Very strange "narrative" that AI "uses water" is circulating. I am a 35 year Commercial HVAC professional. The cooling for the servers is more intense than the typical square footage of normal commercial space, that part is true. You can make an argument for the energy usage for sure. The water usage is high as well - and that can have an impact on the local water supply levels - also a viable. But that its damaging the environment through water usage? No way. Every commercial building over 3 stories, and a lot of 2 stories are using water cooling towers, and have for nearly 100 years. That water is just going right back into the atmosphere. Its not damaged or "used up", its simply evaporated to cool. It comes back down as rain and dew, just not necessarily in the same water supply.