Microsoft is building a massive data center in Mount Pleasant, Racine County, which will take years and billions of dollars to develop. The facility will require significant power and water supplies, sparking concerns between the city of Racine and Mount Pleasant over water provision. As it turns out, water plays a crucial role in keeping the complex cool.
When thousands of servers are packed into a warehouse-like building, they generate heat, which needs to be managed to ensure equipment continues working properly. Some data centers use industrial-sized fans or air-cooling technology, while others employ evaporating water to cool their interiors. Microsoft’s Mount Pleasant facility will utilize both air- and water-based cooling systems.
Researchers are racing to reduce water consumption in data centers, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence that requires more cooling power. Microsoft is at the forefront of this effort, implementing cutting-edge methods to minimize its water usage. While it’s unclear exactly how much water the new data center will use daily, similar facilities can consume millions of gallons per day.
The significance of Lake Michigan water in this context is highlighted by Foxconn’s approval to use 7 million gallons of lake water per day, with a portion returned to the lake. Microsoft’s massive data center may follow a similar approach, underscoring the importance of this vital resource for its operations.
Source: https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2024/09/16/why-lake-michigan-water-is-important-for-microsoft-data-center/75247175007/