Why do Software Industry Use so much Water

I am typing this article, will save it, and then share it on social media. While doing all these activities, I would have used a few litres of water. 

No! I don’t mean the amount of water I will drink in this timeframe; I am referring to the water I consume for my internet activities.

We know manufacturers use water for their various processes and operations. Have you ever imagined that information technology (IT) is also one of the major industries that uses extensive quantities of water to operate? If you know it already, you are part of the industry or someone very knowledgeable; if not, then let’s dive in.

Facebook, Google, Amazon, Netflix, and Microsoft, among many other software companies, are the default platforms for most of us every day. When we use these platforms, the data we create, such as documents, posts, videos, images, etc, is stored in their data centres.

Without getting into technicalities, a data centre is a facility where computer equipment and infrastructure are connected to store, process, and disseminate information. These data centres are major consumers of power and electricity; apart from that, they also need to be kept cool to avoid overheating.

Therefore, these companies need some kind of cooling technology for their data centres, and in most cases, water cooling towers are used to ensure these centres are cooled effectively.

According to estimates, depending on the size of the data centre, between 5 and 20 million litres of water are required every day, which is about the same amount that can suffice a small town.

As per market research company Statista, there are more than 6,000 data centres worldwide, and the majority of them are located in the United States. As more devices connect to the internet, there will be a need for many more data centres, which would consequently entail the extra need for water.

That is the reason we are seeing many USA-based tech companies, such as Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, making water pledges, which means they will reduce their water consumption and put water back into the environment.

All these tech giants have made similar commitments to replenish more water than they consume by 2030 and support water security in the regions in which they operate.

To achieve this, the company plans to reduce water usage in its offices and data centres and, in addition, has partnered with NGOs, organisations, and other local social groups to take action around water conservation. 

Wrapping Up

According to WWF, billions of people worldwide face water shortages every day. According to the Water Resources Group, by 2030, water demand is expected to exceed the current supply by 40%. 

While one major factor in water scarcity is infrastructure, climate change and the unrestricted use of water by industries worldwide are stressing our water resources. 

We cannot ignore the contribution software and information technology play in our lives and also in fighting climate change, but we also need to be cognizant of the inefficiencies in the current IT infrastructure. 

Therefore, whether it is energy consumption, water consumption, or managing e-waste, large IT companies need to be held accountable and take action. 

IT industry’s use of water needs solutions

Agriculture, textiles, meat, beverages, and automobiles are the leading culprits of water usage; given the context, software and information technology are also included in the list of industries that use a lot of water. Only when there is widespread acknowledgement are solutions created.

Let us look at some of the solutions being worked on. 

France-based Scaleway operates all its data centres on renewable energy, and one is based on an adiabatic cooling system (evaporative process) that minimises water use.

Amazon (AWS), another large data centre company, runs several data centres on the evaporative process. 

In 2018, Microsoft started an experiment to see the impact of data centres in the deep sea near Scotland. After 2 years, when the performance was evaluated, it was found that the data centres were “reliable, practical, and use energy sustainably.”

Finally, we hope the IT industry, especially the large players, does more research and provides much better solutions that are less resource-intensive and better for our environment.