Post Ak0HhsZ7hnoJegpilc by gafu@techhub.social
 (DIR) More posts by gafu@techhub.social
 (DIR) Post #AjxWgnognB28TXB9ma by gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green
       2024-07-15T15:38:56Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       “The water that is available for people to use is very limited. Those data centers, they're just evaporating water into the air,” says Shaolei Ren. “ When we get the water, then we discharge the water back to the sewage immediately, we are just withdrawing water—we're not consuming it. A data center takes water from this utility, and they evaporate the water into the sky, into the atmosphere.” The water consumed may not return to the earth’s surface until a year later."https://www.wired.com/story/ai-energy-demands-water-impact-internet-hyper-consumption-era/
       
 (DIR) Post #Ajxb3dNKB8emZLWPRY by cy@fedicy.us.to
       2024-07-15T16:30:12Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       says Shaolei Ren, a responsible AI researcher at UC RiversidePot calling the kettle black, fwiw. Why are they evaporating the water in the first place? Wouldn't just dumping it be cheaper? I can't find anyone saying the water is contaminated, so what gives?
       
 (DIR) Post #Ajxegi68qvjGNBoEbI by Hyolobrika@social.fbxl.net
       2024-07-15T17:11:11.703018Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @cy @gerrymcgovern I assume it's not cold enough to not evaporate the water.Anyway, evaporated water just forms clouds and goes into the water cycle that way IIRC.
       
 (DIR) Post #AjxqWrGD8CBjLNaU8e by cy@fedicy.us.to
       2024-07-15T19:19:47Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       Yeah, except...CC: @gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green
       
 (DIR) Post #Ajy3UxEBGywGfy3oRc by Hyolobrika@social.fbxl.net
       2024-07-15T21:49:12.109822Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @cy @gerrymcgovern Yeah, and that's water that gets dumped, so aren't you happy?I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. I live in Wales lol. I'm fully aware that rain exists.
       
 (DIR) Post #AjyBIdFSWsJ2rxIGoa by cy@fedicy.us.to
       2024-07-15T23:16:08Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       OK to better specify then:1. The rain won't fall on the places they're stealing water from, since they're already dry climates.2. The rain will fall on places that already get entirely too much rain, making their problems even worse.It takes millions of years for an aquifer to fill. Throwing all that water up into the sky changes weather patterns, worsens the climate crisis, and removes water from places that need it most, effectively permanently.
       
 (DIR) Post #Ak0HhsZ7hnoJegpilc by gafu@techhub.social
       2024-07-16T22:51:53Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @cyIt is to get rid of excess heat by evaporate cooling like in coal/oil/nuclear power plants.It cuts the power bill of the air conditioning systems. To evaporate 1L of water it need to get 2257kJ, this is 0,63 kWh electrical heat.The thermal energy sucked up by evaporating water lowers temperatures at the hot side of the air conditioning system and make it run at higher efficiency. In colder areas data center can be build with natural cooling, but it need more room and tech cant be packed in such high density. Hetzner in germany do this in falkenstein dara center.https://davidmytton.blog/how-much-water-do-data-centers-use/
       
 (DIR) Post #Ak0HhtmHCNvTPlzjuK by cy@fedicy.us.to
       2024-07-16T23:37:30Z
       
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       I see. So it's like a nuclear power plant, except the plant gives us power, while the data center busts our unions.