How much public water can be spared for data centres
Data centres play an increasingly important role in storing and processing the data used by businesses, public services and the internet.
But their growth also raises questions about the resources they require, including electricity and water. Water can be used as part of the cooling systems needed to manage the heat generated by high-density computing equipment.
This article looks at water use by data centres in Ireland, where demand has grown significantly. With major data centre developments now being proposed in Scotland, the experience elsewhere raises an important question about the potential impact on our own public water supplies.
As Scotland considers further data centre development, what benefits will these projects provide, what resources will they require, and what impact could they have on communities and the environment?
Source: Irish Independent