UK survey finds just over half of data centres already cool without water
A survey by the trade group techUK and England's Environment Agency found that 51 percent of the data centres it covered use waterless cooling.
The picture of data centres as heavy water users does not match what a British survey found. According to a report in Energy Live News, a survey by the industry group techUK and the Environment Agency found that 51 percent of the data centres surveyed used waterless cooling systems.
The finding was highlighted by Carrier, a company that sells cooling equipment. Its data centre director argued that water use is less clear-cut than public debate suggests, and called for better public information to correct conflicting figures. The company also warned that broad pauses on new data centres could put investment at risk.
Why it matters
Water is the objection data centers hear most often from the towns they want to build in. Evidence that half of one country's surveyed sites already run without cooling water shows that water-free operation is ordinary practice today, not a promise.
Reality check
This is one survey in one country, and the report does not say how many sites were covered or which cooling methods count as waterless. The company drawing attention to it sells cooling systems. Waterless cooling can also mean more electricity use.
Source Energy Live News