Zero water cooling is moving from idea to blueprint at Microsoft. In December 2024 the company announced a new data center design that cools servers without evaporating water. It is a direct answer to one of the biggest public worries about data centers.
How zero water cooling works
The design uses next generation liquid cooling. Water circulates in a closed loop, so it is not lost to evaporation the way it is in many traditional cooling systems. Microsoft says the approach can avoid the use of up to 125 million liters of water per year for each data center.
Where and when
The first projects will pilot the design in Phoenix, Arizona and Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin. Those sites are expected to start coming online in late 2027. Microsoft says all of its new data center designs have begun using this cooling technology.
Why zero water cooling matters
Water use is one of the most debated parts of the data center boom. Arizona is a dry state, and communities there want to know where the water for new buildings will come from. A design that does not consume cooling water for evaporation gives local leaders a stronger answer, and it makes permits and public meetings easier.
The honest caveats
Zero water in the cooling loop does not mean zero impact. Power plants that supply the electricity can use water, and the design still needs energy for pumps and chillers. The key test is real world results once the sites are running. Still, a large operator making closed loop cooling its standard design sends a strong signal to the whole industry.
Know a company doing work like this? Submit your company and tell us about it.
Sources: ESG Today, December 10, 2024.
Get the Eco Business News newsletter. Free.
Plain news on eco, business and data centers. No spam.
