Why the true water footprint of AI is so elusive

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Water is a precious resource. Should we be concerned about the amount that generative AI requires to function? Deven Dadbhawala/Getty Images

Deven Dadbhawala/Getty Images

As the tech industry has grown, so too have data centers.

Data centers are enormous buildings filled with hundreds of thousands of computers that store cloud data and power artificial intelligence. To keep up with computing demands, data centers use electricity and sometimes chilled water to keep those computers cool.

The result? A surge in energy and water use that has caught the attention of scientists

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