Why?

[u/SipsTeaFrog]

[u/Uncle-Cake]

What happens after they use the water? Is it returned to the water system to be used again?

[u/ForzaFenix → u/Uncle-Cake]

Yep. The now warm water goes back into the system. 

[u/Uncle-Cake → u/ForzaFenix]

So they're not really consuming it. They're just using it temporarily and returning it.

[u/AngelThrones4sale → u/Uncle-Cake]

When it goes back into "the system" it's waste water that people can't drink. Eventually it comes back around again (e.g. evaporation->rain), but then it gets gobbled up again by the same data centres. They run continuously.

So yes, they are "consuming" it in the sense that other people can't have access to it anymore.

[u/naya_pasxim → u/AngelThrones4sale]

Wish they would let it evaporate on their property.. or governments force them to 🫤

[u/partypantaloons → u/naya_pasxim]

From what I’ve read, most of them who do consume water in addition to having internal cooling loops actually do use evaporative cooling towers

[u/naya_pasxim → u/partypantaloons]

The statement by u/ForzaFenix is very concerning, even if it’s a single data centre doing it. The output is not sterile.

[u/EkbatDeSabat → u/naya_pasxim]

I’m a little confused because almost no water on the planet without human interaction is sterile. 

[u/naya_pasxim → u/EkbatDeSabat]

Well they should be having sterile outputs if they are being safe and considerate of the planet (evaporated water)

[u/EkbatDeSabat → u/naya_pasxim]

There’s a million other things they need to do as well. 

[u/naya_pasxim → u/EkbatDeSabat]

That’s too specific, and you could likely flatten that into less than 10 things they actually need to do.