As a drought hits Europe, a report published in the Netherlands denounces the increase in water consumption in Microsoft data centers.
It couldn’t have been worse. As Europe is hit by one of the worst droughts in its history, the Dutch press repeats a damning report on data storage centers. Last year, a huge Microsoft data storage center in the north of the country swallowed 84 million liters of water, 4 to 7 times more than the American initially announced. The case, revealed by local media, the Noordhollands Dagblad, and confirmed by the Dutch government, raises many concerns.
The increase in water use is all the more worrying as it could get worse this year. Like most of the latest generation data storage centers, Microsoft uses ambient air to cool its servers. Known as “air cooling”, this technique allows significant energy savings as it limits the record to air conditioning. But to work, the outside temperature must be below 25 degrees. As the heat rises, the installations, which are very sensitive to fluctuations, must continue to be cooled. Microsoft uses water cooling for this. And the hotter it is, the more water data centers use. Last year, the temperature in the affected region exceeded 25 degrees for six days. In the summer of 2022, this fateful threshold has already been crossed six times since early August, according to Weatheronline data.
Enough to further fuel the debate about the environmental footprint of data centers. Currently, according to Wavestone, they would consume 4% of the electricity produced worldwide… and thus indirectly contribute to global warming! More than ever, the issue of energy efficiency is burning. However, other questions arise, particularly related to the use of digital technologies and the consumption habits of individuals.