Google pushes water standards amid data center backlash
Summary
Google has introduced a set of water use guidelines for its data centers to address community concerns about water consumption and environmental impact. The company aims to return more water to local areas than it consumes by 2030 and encourages others in the tech industry to adopt similar practices.Key Facts
- Google plans to return more water to local watersheds than its data centers consume by 2030.
- The company wants to avoid water-heavy cooling methods in areas with limited water resources.
- Google supports funding local water infrastructure upgrades and using reclaimed wastewater.
- The company will disclose its water use every year.
- In 2024, Google used 7.2 billion gallons of freshwater and replenished about 4.5 billion gallons (64%).
- About two-thirds of Google's data centers use evaporative cooling, which uses water but saves electricity.
- The other data centers use air cooling or recycled water to reduce water use in dry regions.
- Google hopes its guidelines become an industry-wide standard to help reduce distrust and improve water management.
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