Water Use Isn’t a Data Center Problem, It’s an AI Problem

Critics of the AI build-out are picking the wrong fight when they attack data centers for their water use. But they are right when they say the digital economy is getting thirstier and the tech industry should answer for it. The whole AI supply chain is water intensive, and reducing use in one place can increase it elsewhere. New research shows chip factories and power plants use considerably water than data centers. Other industries are also water intensive than AI, though tech is where consumption is increasing the most.