California data centers raise concerns over water use and limited transparency, study says
A new study indicates growing concerns in California over data centers' water consumption and limited transparency regarding their environmental impacts. Residents in Inyokern are particularly worried about water availability for a proposed AI data center. Experts also note the strain data centers place on the power grid.
A new study titled "The Intersection of Data Center Development, Water Availability, and Environmental Justice in California" reveals significant concerns about data centers in California, citing their increasing water usage and a severe lack of transparency regarding their environmental impacts. Shaolei Ren, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Riverside, suggests that the U.S. currently lacks the surplus capacity to meet large data center demands.
Ren highlights that insufficient resources create bottlenecks, leading to operational delays, the use of less efficient dry cooling, and increased stress on the power grid during peak summer periods. These issues are particularly salient in areas like Inyokern, California, where residents are actively opposing a proposed AI data center.
Local resident Lauranna Daniels specifically expressed alarm over the Inyokern project's plan to drill two wells and use 500,000 gallons of water, a resource she argues the community cannot spare. The article underscores a broader, statewide challenge as California expands its role in large-scale computing amidst environmental and resource constraints.