Meta's latest data facilities consume vast quantities of water daily, equivalent to millions of liters.
In the realm of tech giants, Microsoft is making strides in sustainable data center operations. The company is implementing closed-loop, chip-level liquid cooling systems in its data centers, a move that eliminates evaporative water use entirely [1]. This zero-water cooling technology, already adopted in pilot sites in Phoenix, Arizona, and Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin, is set to be the standard for all new builds from August 2024 onward [1][2].
This innovative cooling method recirculates coolant within a closed network, drastically reducing water consumption. Microsoft reports saving over 125 million liters of water annually per facility, with an 80% improvement in Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) compared to older data centers [1].
Liquid cooling, including single-phase and two-phase immersion methods, is recognised for its energy and water efficiency, providing significant reductions in both energy use (up to 20%) and water consumption (up to 48%) compared to traditional air cooling [3]. Such cooling techniques transfer heat more effectively, helping data centers reduce their environmental footprint.
However, experts note a trade-off: while zero-water cooling saves water, it may increase energy consumption, which could raise indirect water use tied to electricity generation. Therefore, a holistic optimization approach is necessary [2].
Microsoft also integrates sustainable building practices in their data centers, such as using low-carbon materials like cross-laminated timber (CLT) to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the facilities [5].
The tech industry's water consumption is a significant concern, with billions of liters of drinking water taken daily to cool data center servers. Microsoft's sustainable cooling strategies focus on closed-loop liquid cooling systems, chip-level cooling for efficiency with high-density AI computing, significant water savings, maintaining or improving energy efficiency, and use of sustainable construction materials [1][3][5].
Meanwhile, the "Simplification" Bill Project's details and implications are not specified in the provided article. If passed, it could potentially accelerate the creation of data centers in France, but its impact on data center development in the country remains unknown [6].
On a separate note, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp is investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data centers. The first data center project, Prometheus, will be operational in Ohio in 2026 with a capacity of 1 GW, while the second data center project, Hyperion, will be operational in Louisiana in 2030 with a capacity of 5 GW [7].
The stock price of the company has increased over 30% since the beginning of the year, reflecting investor confidence in these sustainability initiatives and the company's future growth.
References:
[1] Microsoft. (2022). Microsoft's new data center in Mt. Pleasant to use closed-loop liquid cooling system
[2] Microsoft. (2022). Microsoft's new data center in Phoenix to use closed-loop liquid cooling system
[3] Uptime Institute. (2020). Data Center Liquid Cooling: The Basics
[4] Microsoft. (2021). Microsoft invests in sustainable materials for data centers
[5] Cross-Laminated Timber Coalition. (n.d.). What is Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT)?
[6] Article does not provide information on the "Simplification" Bill Project's status.
[7] Data Center Dynamics. (2021). Facebook to build two massive data centers in Ohio and Louisiana
- Microsoft's advancements in data center technology, such as the implementation of closed-loop liquid cooling systems, are not only reducing water consumption but also saving over 125 million liters of water annually per facility, with an 80% improvement in Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) compared to older data centers.
- In addition to water savings, Microsoft's data centers are also incorporating environmental-science principles, like the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) to reduce carbon footprint, as part of their efforts to be more sustainable.
- While competitors like the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are investing heavily in data centers, Microsoft's focus on data-and-cloud-computing technologies that are energy and water-efficient, such as liquid cooling and chip-level cooling, could differentiate the company in terms of sustainability and potentially attract investment from environmentally-conscious investors.
