IREN says Childress data center expansion brings jobs while limiting water use

As Iren continues expanding its data center campus in Childress, company leaders say the project is bringing jobs and other economic benefits to the area while addressing one of the biggest concerns often raised about data centers: water use. The data center has been operating for three years. David Shaw, chief operating officer of IREN, said the Childress facility uses a closed-loop liquid cooling system designed to avoid ongoing water consumption. “The design of our Childress facility has a closed-loop liquid cooling system, which means it doesn't require any ongoing daily or weekly use of water. And that's the thing that would be a concern for residents. So it doesn't require any ongoing use of water. And to do it, you have to fill the system at the beginning. You know, we fill the system. We don't use local water,” Shaw said. Shaw said about 2,500 people are working on the construction site, and 150 people focus on the operational side of the center. He said the campus provides job and career opportunities in technology for residents, noting that data centers are often built closer to large cities. “The biggest one is for jobs and career opportunities in technology for folks who live locally at Childress and often in data centers, built closer to large cities. And so having the campus at Childress gives us the opportunity for rural communities to participate in the digital economy,” Shaw said. Asked about criticism that data centers can be a drain on communities, Shaw said he believes they provide the opposite effect. “I think the I think data centers are, in fact, the opposite. I guess they're bringing jobs. We find that people are excited about being part of the digital economy and the future, and the services that are provided by those data centers," said Shaw. "And what I ask is that people, when you log on your phone every day, and you use the services of somewhere, somewhere for those services, whether it's ChatGPT or Copilot or any of those functions are done by a data center somewhere.” ___________ Follow KVII on social media: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abc7amarillo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABC7Amarillo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/abc7amarillo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abc7amarillo/ Have a tip? Email us at kviinews@sbgtv.com Have a video or photo you want to share? Upload it to https://abc7amarillo.com/chimein KVII is a TX based station and an ABC Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. Sinclair owns and operates, programs or provides sales services to 163 television stations in 77 markets, after pending transactions. Sinclair's television group reaches approximately 38.7% of US television households and includes FOX, ABC, MyTV, CW, CBS, NBC, Univision and Azteca affiliates. #amarillo #texas #texasnews #abc7 #amarillonews #panhandle #texas