- Data centers in England use much less water than many expected
- Techuk’s survey shows that almost two thirds of the facilities consume modest amounts of water
- Closed circuit cooling systems reduce dependence on traditional water intensive methods
The world’s expanding data centers network has often related to strong environmental costs, especially when it comes to water.
These facilities form the basis for the training of cloud services, LLM and the many AI tools now integrated in all industries.
However, a new survey conducted by Techuk, carried out with the United Kingdom Environment Agency, has affirmed that data centers “are not intensive water users” as many people think.
Very few sites with water use at industry level
The report found that almost two thirds (64%) of commercial sites in England consume less than 10,000 cubic meters of water per year.
This demand level is described as lower than that of a “typical leisure center” and similar to the water requirements of a Premier League soccer club.
Only 4% of the facilities reported a use of more than 100,000 cubic meters annually, an associated figure with industrial production.
The cooling has long been considered the water consumption controller of the data center, although the industry is now moving towards alternatives such as systems without water and closed circuit.
More than half of the facilities surveyed already depend on cooling without water, while many others use direct chip techniques that recycle water within sealed systems.
In fact, 89% of the operators said they no longer track consumption because their systems use “there is no water beyond the regular functioning of any building.”
While the report emphasizes that operators are “actively innovating” to reduce demand, it remains skepticism.
There are also questions about whether the informed figures capture the full life cycle of water use, including indirect impacts of energy generation.
Techuk argues that data centers are vital for the economy of the United Kingdom, contributing billions in annual value and enabling ambitions in AI and digital innovation.
The commercial body is asking for stronger planning frames, including a “proposed water exploitation index” to trace local stress levels.
“I am encouraged by the work that Techuk has undertaken to better understand the use of water, and the findings suggest that the United Kingdom data centers are using a variety of cooling technologies and increasingly aware of water,” said Richard Thompson, deputy director of Water Resources of the Environment Agency.
“It is vital that the sector puts sustainability in its heart and minimizes the use of water in line with evolving standards.”
