Data centers that power AI have huge impact on Arizona’s power grid, water supply

PHOENIX — Several high-profile technology companies have set up operations in Arizona, sparking concerns about the environmental impact of their services.

For example, the increasing demand for artificial intelligence has led to a rise in the need for data centers, which provide the computing storage capacity required for AI.

However, these data centers consume a significant amount of energy and rely on water-intensive cooling systems to manage the heat generated during energy production.

“Because this energy produces heat, and the heat doesn’t get along well with the servers, and we have to get rid of the heat,” Shaolei Ren, the associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Riverside, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday. “This process is called cooling systems.”

What environmental impact do AI data centers have on metro Phoenix?

Arizona currently has about 118 data centers, most of which sit within metro Phoenix.

While these centers range in size, even a medium-sized data center sucks a massive amount of energy from the power grid.

In fact, Ren said a medium-sized data center uses the same amount of energy as around 300,000 households.

Why do AI data enters take up so much energy?

There are two stages to the cooling system. First, server-level cooling moves the heat from the server to a heat exchanger, which involves no water loss or water consumption.

However, the second stage moves the heat from the heat exchanger to the outside environment using water to cool. Water evaporation is usually the most efficient way to do this job.

“For example, in many data centers in Arizona they’re just using cooling towers that is evaporating water 24/7 to move the heat to the outside environment,” Ren said.

Newer data centers will use water evaporation to pre-cool the air before letting the air into the server room for cooling, he added.

Ren said it’s important to look at the cost-benefit analysis of data centers because water use and energy demand will be quite substantial in Arizona due to its hot, arid climate.

He said one should consider the economic benefits data centers would bring to the area compared to other facilities.

Data centers generally have a strong return on investment, he added.

“I think we’re seeing more and more people paying attention to this problem and jumping into the field to investigate the impacts and thinking about what can be done to mitigate this problem,” Ren said.

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