Why do Data Centers Use So Much Electricity and Water?

My real-world job is as an English lecturer and every time I use even a little AI to enhance a resource (it avoids copyright and it’s, well, free), I am met by waves (occasionally the odd tsunami) of approbation by my students that I am single-handedly killing the planet. I would wearily point out the hypocrisy of their statements – so many of the digital devices that they cover end up in landfill because they are hard to recycle – and that’s just a starter), but I refrain. However, the question does come up in my mind – why is it that data centers (especially those who are hosting AI platforms) use up so much electricity – not to mention water? 1,000 huge warehouse-sized data centers have popped up around the world since 2019 and the resources they use are staggering. This Ted-Ed video has popped up in my stream just when I wanted the answers. I might just play this to my students – these customised complexes come with a whole new set of complications. Will my students have the…

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