An investigation into the water consumption of commercial data centres in England has revealed that the sector is more water-efficient than previously believed, thanks to advancements in cooling technologies.
Conducted by TechUK, the UK tech trade body, in partnership with the Environment Agency, the study aimed to evaluate the environmental impact of the data centre industry in England, focusing specifically on water usage.
Surveying 73 sites across England, with a majority located in the Water Resource South East region, the findings indicated that modern cooling systems are less water-intensive than expected. The research showed that 51% of the surveyed sites utilize waterless cooling systems that do not require additional water beyond standard commercial building use. Among the facilities that do utilize water, most employ hybrid systems that combine air, water, and refrigerant-based heat rejection methods, with only 5% relying solely on water-based cooling.
The report highlighted the industry’s progress in becoming more water-efficient, largely due to technological innovations such as liquid cooling and direct-to-chip cooling. This trend is particularly significant as the UK government pushes for the rapid expansion of data centre capacity to meet the increasing demands of AI-driven computing.
Luisa Cardani, head of the Datacentres Programme at TechUK, emphasized the ongoing trend towards waterless cooling and hybrid systems in newer data centre facilities. She noted that this shift is driven by the need for resource efficiency, especially in areas facing water scarcity.
The report also recommends the development of standardized cooling requirements for AI-ready servers and emphasizes the importance of early coordination between data centre developers, local authorities, and water suppliers to align water demand with local supply capacity.
Richard Thompson, deputy director for water resources at the Environment Agency, underscored the need for sustainability in the data centre sector and highlighted the importance of minimizing water usage in line with evolving standards.
While the report acknowledges its limitations in terms of sample size and data validation, it calls for increased transparency within the industry, urging data centre operators to engage proactively with policymakers to ensure that legislation aligns with the sector’s practices and goals.
Efficiency gains in data centres must be considered in the context of industry growth, as expanding capacity can offset improvements in efficiency. As the government invests in expanding data centre capacity across the UK by 2030, the focus on sustainability and resource efficiency remains crucial for the sector’s future development.
