AI cooling consumes billions of liters of water—a startup offers a solution
blue activity relies on biodegradable cooling water chemistry
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Europe is experiencing a summer of extremes. Wildfires are spreading across many European countries. The Rhine and Danube have reached historic lows—a situation so severe that it is visible even from space. Huge sandbars that are normally submerged have been exposed. As a result, water use restrictions have been introduced in many countries. The drought is so severe that it is threatening economic growth.
At the same time, a trend is gaining momentum in the background that has received little attention so far: artificial intelligence’s thirst for water. With every new AI application, more powerful data centers are being built worldwide. What many overlook is that the challenge isn’t just electricity—it’s the associated need for cooling, which is increasingly being achieved using water as the most efficient coolant.
The result: U.S. data centers alone consumed approximately 65.9 billion liters of water in 2023. Experts estimate that this demand could increase two- to fourfold by 2028. The cooling water used is often treated with environmentally hazardous biocides—in combination with chemical additives—to prevent contamination, resulting in wastewater that requires treatment.
The smarter our AI becomes, the greater its thirst
“Artificial intelligence must not lead to water becoming a collateral casualty of digitalization,” says Lars Havighorst, CEO of blue activity GmbH.
The Heidelberg-based CleanTech company has developed a patent-pending technology that completely eliminates the need for conventional cooling water chemistry. Instead of using biocides, blue activity harnesses the power of nature to ensure high water quality: functional microorganisms clean the cooling systems very efficiently 24/7, supplemented by biopolymer additives to manage hardness precipitation and provide corrosion protection.
The fully biodegradable conditioning agents keep cooling circuits clean, reduce resource consumption (water), and ensure that water can be returned to the natural cycle as uncontaminated as possible.
“As water becomes the most important resource of the 21st century, we must stop unnecessarily polluting it while we use it. That is exactly why our innovative treatment products were developed.”
The real challenge begins now
The global expansion of AI is just beginning. New data centers are springing up at record speed—including in Europe. At the same time, climate change and droughts are increasing the pressure on water resources. For blue activity, one thing is clear: The digitalization of the future requires more than just green energy. It also requires responsible water management.
blue activity is seeking new pilot partners
The company is seeking operators of hyperscale data centers who want to work together to demonstrate that digitalization and resource conservation do not have to be at odds with one another. Additional partners are also being sought among industrial park operators, refineries, chemical plants, and steel mills.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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