It feels like magic. Type a prompt, get an instant answer. But behind every AI response is a massive server farm doing the heavy lifting.
While these server farms execute heavy lifting, they typically heat up quickly, and most server farms are cooled with water.
Sometimes thousands of gallons per minute.
“It’s something that people will have to grapple with individually and see if they’re going to be adopters of this and what measures they can take to reduce some of that usage,” said Kevin Strauss of the SCV Water Agency
In 2022, AP News reported that Microsoft used over 1.7 billion gallons of water, a significant amount allocated to training AI models, such as the one behind ChatGPT.
“AI and data centers usually use a large amount of water all the time to constantly cool down systems,” said Strauss.
“While we don’t have any of those here in the Santa Clarita Valley…we do take into account at SCV water and through the different planning and permitting authorities what supply we have available,” said Strauss.
Our phones make AI feel effortless. AI is here to stay, changing how we live, study, and work. But behind every prompt lies a crucial resource that continues to deplete.
For some students growing up in a changing climate, it’s a connection worth noticing.
“I mean, either way, they’re still going to use it. That’s the way I see it,” said Russell Siron, a College of the Canyons student.
