Microsoft claims it has developed a new design for datacentres used for artificial intelligence (AI) that doesn’t rely on water for cooling. According to a recent blog post, this innovation could save the company over 125 million litres of water that would otherwise be needed for cooling.
The design uses a closed-loop system filled with recycled water during construction. This water will continuously circulate through the servers and chillers, managing heat without tapping into fresh water supplies.
Currently, Microsoft still uses a mix of water and air-cooling systems in its datacentres. However, the company plans to test this new design in 2026 at two sites in the U.S., with future plans for widespread adoption.
Starting in August 2024, Microsoft will implement this advanced cooling technology for all new datacentre designs, aiming for zero-water evaporation as the main cooling method. These facilities are set to go live in late 2027.
Microsoft emphasizes that reducing water usage in its datacentres is a key priority. In the last financial year, the company reported significant improvements in water efficiency. They use a metric called Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE), which measures total water consumption for cooling and humidification against total energy usage for IT equipment. The recent average WUE was 0.30 L/kWh, a notable 39% improvement from 2021’s average of 0.49 L/kWh.
In September 2020, Microsoft committed to a plan to replenish more water than its operations consume by 2030. This pledge responds to rising concerns from policymakers and environmentalists about datacentre water usage, especially with threats of water scarcity due to climate change and increasing populations.
Beyond water usage, Microsoft is exploring various ways to lessen the environmental impact of its datacentres. In November 2024, the company announced plans to construct datacentres using wooden materials. Currently, two facilities in Northern Virginia are being developed with cross-laminated timber to decrease the embodied carbon in construction.
Additionally, Microsoft has experimented with using microalgae-based limestone in the foundations of its server farms, along with alternative concrete mixes. They also looked into underwater server farms, but those trials have wrapped up, and the company has decided against building sub-sea facilities.