Microsoft and OpenAI have been using data centers in West Des Moines, Iowa, for their AI work. Microsoft's water consumption in Iowa, particularly during the summer, has raised concerns about preserving the water supply for residential and other commercial needs. In response, Microsoft stated that it is investing in research to measure AI's energy and carbon footprint and working on ways to make large systems more efficient. The company also aims to be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030.
Key takeaways:
- The development of artificial intelligence (AI) products like ChatGPT by companies such as Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google has led to a significant increase in water consumption, primarily used for cooling supercomputers.
- Microsoft's global water consumption spiked 34% from 2021 to 2022, largely due to its AI research, according to an environmental report. Google also reported a 20% growth in water use in the same period, which is largely attributed to its AI work.
- Microsoft and OpenAI have been using data centers in West Des Moines, Iowa, for their AI work. The location is considered relatively efficient for training powerful AI systems due to its cool weather for much of the year, which allows the use of outside air to cool the supercomputers.
- Despite the benefits, the high water consumption has raised concerns. In 2022, West Des Moines Water Works stated it would only consider future data center projects from Microsoft if they can significantly reduce peak water usage.