
Apocalyptic scenes emerging from greater Los Angeles due to ongoing wildfires have sparked serious concerns about the tech industry’s escalating demand for water, especially in the face of dwindling resources. The surge in power-hungry AI models is increasingly straining local water supplies at a time when municipalities and companies struggle to balance their cooling needs.
A mix of ongoing drought and infrastructure limitations has led to both water shortages and reduced water pressure in fire hydrants across Los Angeles County, exacerbating tensions among local government representatives. As IT demands rise, water usage has become a pressing concern for officials, pressing them to take action.
In response, three Democratic lawmakers have unveiled four bills targeting reductions in water use linked to AI and data centers. Assemblymember Dian Papan, one of the bill’s authors, emphasized to Politico, "Water’s a limited resource. I’m trying to make it so we are prepared and ahead of the curve as we pursue new technology."
Statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy highlight the growing water demands of data centers, which consumed an estimated 66 billion liters in 2023—a significant rise from 21.2 billion liters noted in 2014. This figure only accounts for the direct consumption of water used for cooling, not factoring in additional water needed for the power plants supplying electricity to these data centers.
However, a lack of transparency persists in water usage tracking, with approximately 50% of organizations failing to gather data on their water consumption in data center operations. Currently, California is home to 286 data centers, with 69 located in Los Angeles alone. The current situation not only raises questions about the sustainability of such technological growth but also highlights the urgent need for policy changes to accommodate both tech advancement and environmental stewardship.
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