Data centres are vital for the future and AI but their environmental footprint can be a problem
Data centres could use the equivalent of a quarter of Sydney’s current annual drinking water supply within a decade, according to the state’s peak water utility.
Currently data centres use approximately 3.5 billion litres of Sydney’s drinking water supply per year — which is less than 1 per cent of total demand.
Sydney Water, Australia’s largest water utility, is preparing for that to jump to 25 per cent by 2035.