Sustainability Questions , Linger Around AI's Use , of Vast Amounts of Water.<br />'The Independent' reports that just one of the <br />sustainability questions circling around artificial <br />intelligence is the amount of water it necessitates. .<br />In 2022, Microsoft alone reportedly used <br />over 2,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools <br />of water to operate its data centers. .<br />In 2022, Microsoft alone reportedly used <br />over 2,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools <br />of water to operate its data centers. .<br />The computational resources required by <br />AI means that companies must operate massive <br />server farms to keep the system running.<br />The computational resources required by <br />AI means that companies must operate massive <br />server farms to keep the system running.<br />'The Independent' reports that those server farms <br />use vast quantities of water to cool themselves, <br />a long-running concern for environmentalists.<br />'The Independent' reports that those server farms <br />use vast quantities of water to cool themselves, <br />a long-running concern for environmentalists.<br />Between 2021 and 2022, the amount of water used <br />by Microsoft increased 34%, according to the <br />company's most recent environmental report.<br />Between 2021 and 2022, the amount of water used <br />by Microsoft increased 34%, according to the <br />company's most recent environmental report.<br />The Associated Press first reported that <br />the company's water consumption <br />reached almost 1.7 billion gallons.<br />According to Google, its water use <br />had increased 20% over the same <br />period of time.<br />According to Google, its water use <br />had increased 20% over the same <br />period of time.<br />Google's water use varied across <br />multiple data centers ranging <br />across different areas of the U.S. .<br />Shaolei Ren, a researcher at the University <br />of California, Riverside is among those working<br />to document the environmental impact of AI.<br />Shaolei Ren, a researcher at the University <br />of California, Riverside is among those working<br />to document the environmental impact of AI.<br />According to Ren, every 5 to 50 questions <br />posed to ChatGPT consumes <br />an estimated 500 milliliters of water.
