保障水安全以促进数据中心的可持续增长

Safeguarding water security for sustainabledata center growth Introduction The global data center sector is on a steep growth trajectory.Already, it is projected to be worth around $527 billion1,with forecasts suggesting the market could almost doubleby 2030. This expansion is being fueled by a powerful setof drivers: the rise of AI and machine learning, the rapidgrowth of cloud computing, ongoing digital transformation,the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), the adoptionof 5G networks, and an increasing emphasis on datasovereignty, security, regulation, and sustainable, energy-efficient technologies.In recognition of their increasingly vital role in sustaining One area where the necessity of collaboration is especiallypronounced is sustainability, given the pressure this rapiddata center expansion is placing on our natural resources,and the energy and land required. Among the most pressingsustainability issues for data centers is water efficiency. Aswe will see, data centers are incredibly thirsty, and theirrapid expansion is coming at a time when water scarcity is ofsignificant global concern. ambitions, comparing these to water security levelsand the sustainability policies and legislation in place toaddress this. Nearly two-thirds (63%)3of business leadersagree that businesses should acknowledge water usageand efficient water management as key environmentalchallenges associated with AI. Building a sector that is bothfit for purpose and environmentally responsible requirespooling expertise, mobilizing investment, and implementingregulatory frameworks that balance opportunity withenvironmental stewardship.Business leaders who agree businesses digital life, supporting economic growth and poweringessential services such as healthcare, financial systems,and communications, some governments now classify datacenters as critical infrastructure2. However, unlike traditionalinfrastructure, much of the sector remains privately owned.Even where infrastructure is privatized, it tends to still besubject to significant regulatory oversight. This dynamicplaces a particular importance on public and private sectorcollaboration to ensure that development and regulationcan keep pace with innovation while also safeguardingreliability, resilience, and societal needs. efficient water management as keyenvironmental challengesassociated with AI 63% Water Security -A Global Picture world’s population lives in water-stressed regions4.Findings from our 2024 Thirst for Change partnershipwith Waterwise reinforced the urgency of the global watersecurity challenge, revealing that nearly a third (29%) of the42 countries analyzed face high to very high levels of waterinsecurity. This issue is only growing due to a combinationof population growth, climate change and economicdevelopment, all of which is driving increasing demand.This is more pronounced in some countries, regions orindeed in different sectors, but it is an issue that is relevantto us all. Data centers and water Addressing these challenges requires proactive collaborationacross public and private sectors, from regulation and policy,measurement and reporting and the implementation of waterefficiency measures. Data centers are relatively ‘new’compared to more traditional infrastructure such as energy,transport and water systems. This means that they postnew considerations but also that we have the opportunity tointegrate sustainability and water efficiency measures intotheir design and operations almost from the outset, ratherthan facing the challenges of retroactively addressing thesecritical environmental issues later on. With expert guidance,standards and frameworks of best practice, and assurancetools, developers and operators can take tangible stepstoday to improve the sustainability, and specifically the waterefficiency, of their facilities, thereby safeguarding both currentoperations and future growth.As nations compete to harness the economic potential of Against this backdrop, ensuring the water efficiency ofdata centers becomes a global environmental priority. Datacenters are among the top ten water-consuming commercialindustries worldwide5. indirect6, tied to electricity production and supply. However,a significant proportion of direct water consumption is due todata center cooling - which is currently a fundamental processto the successful operation of the centers7. Thousands ofservers running around the clock generate vast amounts ofheat. Without effective cooling, systems could overheat andfail within minutes, causing both operational disruption andcostly hardware damage.To manage this, data centers rely on either air-cooling or water-cooling systems. The former approach uses fans and airconditioning and is less effective for high-density computingenvironments. By contrast, water-based cooling is far moreefficient at removing heat8, which explains why hyperscaleoperators increasingly favor this method despite its significantwater require