Artificial Intelligence and Technological Demand: Water and Energy Consumption.

Collab: Ayelén De Faveri, Bachelor in Environmental Management, Environmental Management and Occupational Health and Safety Technician, Expert in Environmental Tourism Planning and Management, committed to promoting a healthy and pleasant work environment.

We live in an era where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we interact with technology. From generating images based on a simple description to answering our daily questions in seconds, AI is everywhere. But have you ever stopped to think about the resources required to make all of this work?

Every time we generate an image using AI platforms or ask a virtual assistant to answer a question, a complex process is being carried out in data centers that require a massive amount of energy to function. These data centers, which store and process all the information, are designed to operate at a large scale—meaning they consume electricity constantly.

In addition to energy, data centers also need water to stay cool and prevent servers from overheating. Many of these centers use cooling systems that consume large quantities of water. This process is essential to ensure uninterrupted server operation, but at the same time, it generates a significant water footprint.

It is important to note that not all data centers have the same impact in terms of water consumption. This depends on the type of cooling technology used by the servers. These technologies can be:

• Closed-loop systems: In this type of system, the water used is not lost but continuously recycled. The water remains within a closed circuit and generally does not evaporate or get wasted. This kind of system is efficient and helps minimize the water footprint.

• Semi-closed-loop systems: Water circulates in a way similar to closed-loop systems, but with a higher chance of water loss due to evaporation. Although much of the water is still recycled, part of it is lost during the cooling process. The difference from an open system is that water is reused, but at a slower rate than in closed systems.

• Open-loop systems: This system consumes the most water. In data centers that use this type of cooling, water is taken from external sources such as rivers or reservoirs and used to cool the equipment. The water then evaporates and is lost, resulting in a significant environmental impact.

  
  

While closed and semi-closed systems help reduce water usage, the environmental impact of data centers remains considerable. Technology may seem intangible, but its environmental footprint is very real. Every Google search, every AI-generated image, every conversation with a virtual assistant has a cost in terms of water and energy.

Although the amount of water used to process a single query is small, when we consider the global use of these technologies, the cumulative impact becomes significant. Data centers are constantly expanding to meet the growing demand for cloud services, social media, artificial intelligence, and more.

So, what can we do as users? As consumers, it's important that we become more aware of the environmental impact of the technological tools we use and strive to use them more efficiently.

While AI continues to evolve and offer innovative solutions, our challenge as a society is to ensure that technological progress does not come at the expense of essential resources—like the water we need to live and thrive #ForABetterWorld