If the previous industrial revolutions have been promoted by great advances in transport (steam machine, combustion engine …), this new industrial revolution could come from the hand of a Transformation of transport and generation of data and information. While coal, oil or electricity were behind the great changes in recent centuries, this time it could be the turn of a substance that is at first sight everywhere, but that is actually extremely scarce: the water.
In a world where data travel at the speed of light and Silicon chips feed the powerful artificial intelligencethis transparent and universal substance rises as an unexpected protagonist of the future. It is not a metaphor or an exaggeration. The liquid element we all have is called to be the oil of this new era in which advanced semiconductors have become the great hope to increase productivity and improve our lives. According to a recent DNB Asset Management report, water has turned into the most traded raw material on the planet, even exceeding oil if the concept of ‘Virtual Water’that is, the amount used in the production of goods and services. Nothing less than 400 times more trade than black gold.
This technological revolution that is living the world (fueled by semiconductors, data centers and algorithms that require colossal amounts of energy and cooling) is thirsty. One Microchips factory You can consume As much water as a city of 58,000 inhabitants. And, as Kristine Alm Karsrud, portfolio manager in DNB Fund Future Waves, recalls, “if we consider the growth of artificial intelligence and the semiconductor market, it is clear that the demand for water will continue to increase.” In this context, water is no longer just a natural resource: it is a new oil, and all, in a way, we have a drop of it in our hands.
The case of Data centers It is especially relevant, by using large amounts of water for the cooling of the rooms that house the racks (Metal structures designed to house and organize electronic equipment). As a specialized ING report points out, with the increase in servers, the water consumption of data centers has increased significantly throughout the world, from 738 million liters in 2015 to more than 840 million liters in 2021.
This trend is largely due to the increase in water consumption by large technology companies. In USAwhere approximately the 25% of world data centersa medium -sized data center uses about 1.1 million liters of water per day, which is equivalent to the water consumption of 100,000 homes.
The challenges faced by data centers in relation to water use are usually related to their geographical location. “Sometimes, data centers are found in areas where water sources are scarce. For example, in 2022, 23% of fresh water extractions from Microsoft And 18% of those of Google They came from areas with Water stress. This means that, to continue using water to cool data centers, companies must improve water use efficiency and minimize drought risk. They must also properly manage relations with the local community in the case of large amounts of water consumption, “explain Coco Zhang, Jan Frederik Slijkerman and Diederik Stadig, authors of the ING report.
These multinational giants, always among the largest contributed in the world, seem to be aware of the challenges involved in this consumption of such an essential medium for life. Some of these firms, such as Microsoft or Google have been working on the replacement of water through projects such as water conservation to compensate for their consumption. Microsoft plans to be “water-positive” for 2030 Reducing water consumption, recovering more than it uses, providing people with access to water and sanitation services and participating in water policy. Other possible practices, the ‘Orange Bank’ report is completed are the recycling of water, the modernization of cooling systems and the research and development of innovative technologies.
However, Ing analysts warn, “There is a long way to go to replace more than is consumed. ” If a company consumes less water than it replenishes globally, it could still worsen the situations of water stress in a specific region while replenishing water elsewhere, “they add.
In the same way, they denounce, there are A certain lack of information: “Although more and more data centers and technological companies that actively manage water consumption, information on this aspect is not as widespread as that relative to electrical consumption or energy efficiency. Companies have to improve. In addition to absolute use, there is a limited dissemination of relative water consumption metric (some metric can be calculated from other disseminated data).”
“These metrics would allow a better comparison between peers. Some investors are starting to be interested by water -related metrics and its intensity when considering sustainable financial products. In summary, water use is attracting the attention of the data centers industry, but much more effort is needed to reduce the net use of water and inform about progress, “Zhang, Slijkerman and Stadig close.
In the aspect of the investment, Karsrud, from DNB, collects the glove and points to opportunities. “Private investments in new chips factories amount to more than 2,270 million dollars, while water -related infrastructure could absorb between 110,000 and 180,000 million,” he introduces, pointing to three potential niches: Ultrapure wateressential to clean each microcomponent without margin of error; Advanced filtrationthrough techniques such as nanofiltration or reverse osmosis that allow each drop to be reused; and desalinationa crucial bet in territories ravaged by drought. “Companies that develop efficient solutions for water management and reuse will be well positioned to capture the growth of the semiconductor and data centers industry,” he concludes.
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