Tech Giants' Thirst for AI Drives Massive Surge in Water Use

Microsoft's global water consumption spiked over 35% in 2022 to 1.7 billion gallons, enough to fill 2,500 Olympic pools.
Water is used to cool the supercomputers running AI systems like ChatGPT. Microsoft used water from Iowa rivers.
Google's water use also rose around 20% as demand for AI grows. Computing power creates heat that must be cooled.
Researchers estimate ChatGPT uses 500 mL of water per 5-50 prompts to analyze text patterns.
Companies acknowledge high water use but are investing in renewable energy and efficiency to meet sustainability goals.

rollingstone.com

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Posted 9/10/2023, 12:43:13 AM

Tech Giants' Thirst for AI Drives Massive Surge in Water Use

Microsoft's global water consumption spiked over 35% in 2022 to 1.7 billion gallons, enough to fill 2,500 Olympic pools.
Water is used to cool the supercomputers running AI systems like ChatGPT. Microsoft used water from Iowa rivers.
Google's water use also rose around 20% as demand for AI grows. Computing power creates heat that must be cooled.
Researchers estimate ChatGPT uses 500 mL of water per 5-50 prompts to analyze text patterns.
Companies acknowledge high water use but are investing in renewable energy and efficiency to meet sustainability goals.

rollingstone.com

Relevant topic timeline:

8/28/2023

AI data centers use a lot of electricity & water: Can supply keep up?

The rising demand for AI technology and data centers is creating a supply issue due to the massive amounts of electricity and water required to operate and cool these facilities.

9/9/2023

Microsoft's Iowa AI Supercomputer Guzzles Water to Power ChatGPT, Concerning Local Officials

Tech developers including Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google are facing increased water consumption and environmental impact due to the energy-intensive nature of training large AI models.

9/9/2023

Microsoft and Google's Thirsty AI Drives Big Spikes in Tech Water Use

9/10/2023

ChatGPT's Thirst for AI: Microsoft's Iowa Data Center Uses Millions of Gallons of Water Monthly to Train Power-Hungry AI Models

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