Nvidia wants to cut data center water use, but that's not the same as fixing AI's water problem
Nvidia announced a new cooling system that cuts water use inside the data center. But it does nothing to address AI's biggest water use - fossil fuel power plants. Nvidia just announced a warm-water cooling system that it says can dramatically reduce the amount of water a data center uses - eliminating "pretty much all water usage" inside the data center, according to an Nvidia executive in a press release .
Key Takeaways
- "The water consumption challenge for data centers is largely solved," Josh Parker, chief sustainability officer at Nvidia, recently told Axios.
- In favorable climates, the company says, that can amount to a 100% reduction in on-site water use.
TechCrunch has asked Nvidia to clarify the matter, and we'll update this article if we receive a reply.
- A data center without fans or chillers would not only use less water, but it would also be more efficient and quieter.
But no data center can operate without an electricity supply, and many types of power plants are themselves major water consumers.
- Fossil fuel power plants collectively generate about half of all data center power today, according to the IEA.
Hydropower dams, which supply around 10% of data center power, don't consume water in the same direct way, but evaporation from their reservoirs amounts to 6.
- Without major changes to that trajectory, data centers will still consume large amounts of water, regardless of what Nvidia does inside its walls.
Stats & Key Facts
- #In favorable climates, the company says, that can amount to a 100% reduction in on-site water use.
- #7 billion gallons per day, according to the U.
- #Hydropower dams, which supply around 10% of data center power, don't consume water in the same direct way, but evaporation from their reservoirs amounts to 6.
- #While renewables are providing a growing share of new electricity capacity, natural gas and coal are expected to provide more than 40% of new electricity needed to meet data center demand through 2030, the IEA projects.
"The water consumption challenge for data centers is largely solved," Josh Parker, chief sustainability officer at Nvidia, recently told Axios. But that's only part of the water story. As long as AI data centers run on fossil fuels - a choice tech companies are increasingly making - the savings stop at the data center's walls.
The core issue is how Nvidia measures data center water use. According to its blog post, the company essentially draws a line around the data center. Anything inside gets counted, and anything outside gets ignored.
To be fair, Nvidia's system does appear to deliver on its facility-level promise - the coolant runs in a closed loop, filled once and recirculated for the life of the facility, meaning no new water is consumed to cool the chips. In favorable climates, the company says, that can amount to a 100% reduction in on-site water use. TechCrunch has asked Nvidia to clarify the matter, and we'll update this article if we receive a reply.
For more details please read the original article at TechCrunch AI.
Continue Learning
Comments
Sign in to join the conversation