Google Announces Water‑Saving Texas Data Center with Advanced Air‑Cooling
Key Points
- Google is constructing a new data center in Texas using advanced air‑cooling technology.
- Water usage will be limited to essential campus operations such as kitchens.
- The project follows a two‑year, $40 billion investment pledged by Google to Texas.
- Google has secured contracts for roughly 7,800 megawatts of net energy generation to support the state grid.
- Community groups nationwide have raised concerns about data‑center impacts on electricity costs, greenhouse‑gas emissions, and water consumption.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described water concerns as "fake" and highlighted the energy needed for AI training.
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested that space‑based data centers could address many environmental issues.
- Some experts caution that alternative solutions may still carry significant environmental risks.
Google is constructing a new data center in Texas that will employ advanced air‑cooling technology to sharply reduce water use, limiting consumption to essential campus operations such as kitchens. The project follows the company’s previously announced two‑year, $40 billion investment in the state and includes contracts for roughly 7,800 megawatts of net energy generation to support the Texas grid. While the initiative arrives amid growing public concern over the environmental impact of data centers, industry figures like OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Tesla’s Elon Musk have voiced differing opinions on the water‑use issue and the potential of space‑based facilities.
Google’s New Texas Data Center
Google is building an additional data center in Texas that will rely on "advanced air‑cooling technology" to limit water consumption. According to the company, water use at the facility will be restricted to "critical campus operations" such as kitchen facilities.
Financial Commitment and Energy Plans
The development follows a previously announced two‑year investment of $40 billion that Google has pledged to the Lone Star State. In conjunction with the new data center, Google is touting an arrangement that provides about 7,800 megawatts of net energy generation and capacity, secured through contracts with utility providers to augment the Texas power grid.
Community and Environmental Context
These resource‑conscious commitments come at a time when communities across the United States are expressing resistance to data‑center construction. Critics cite concerns that such facilities can raise electricity costs, exacerbate global greenhouse‑gas emissions, and consume large volumes of fresh water.
Industry Reactions
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has downplayed the water‑use concerns, describing them as "fake" and noting that "it also takes a lot of energy to train a human." Conversely, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other tech leaders have suggested that building data centers in space could mitigate many of the environmental issues associated with terrestrial sites. Some experts, however, warn that the environmental downside of such approaches could be severe.
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