3 concerns people have about data centers, expert says
Andrew Chien, an expert from the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, identifies three main concerns regarding data centers: their large, unsightly appearance and significant land use. He also highlights their continuous and growing demand for electricity, which increases their carbon footprint despite renewable efforts. Additionally, their substantial water consumption for evaporative cooling is a concern, especially in water-stressed regions.
Andrew Chien, a professor at the University of Chicago and a senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, discusses three primary public concerns regarding data centers in an interview. He notes that these facilities are massive, often appearing as clusters of large, "big box store" like buildings, which some find unsightly and represent significant land use.
A second major concern is the extensive electrical power infrastructure data centers require. Chien points out that despite long-held aspirations for neutralizing carbon emissions from data center power consumption, the operational emissions footprint of major operators has continued to grow over the past five years and is projected to do so for at least the next five. This is largely attributed to the need for continuous power in contrast to the variability of renewable energy sources.
Finally, Chien highlights the substantial water consumption of many data centers due to their reliance on evaporative cooling. This process takes water from local ecosystems and releases it into the air to dissipate heat, leading to water loss that can be particularly problematic in water-stressed or drought-prone areas. Chien, whose research focuses on large-scale computing systems and gigawatt data center design, emphasizes the challenges posed by the interaction of this growth with the power grid and local resources.