Scottish data centres powering AI already using enough water to fill 27 million bottles a year
39 minutes ago Share Save Georgina Hayes BBC Scotland Share Save
Getty Images The US is the location of most new data centres but the UK is expanding quickly
Data centres powering artificial intelligence (AI) in Scotland are using enough tap water to fill 27 million half-litre bottles a year, according to data obtained by BBC News. AI systems such as the large language models (LLMs) that power OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini require warehouses full of specialist computers. The equipment is power-hungry, consuming large amounts of energy, but they also use tonnes of water in their cooling systems to stop the servers overheating. Freedom of Information data shows the volume of tap water used by Scotland's data centres has quadrupled since 2021.
There are currently 16 data centres in Scotland and this number is set
Continue Reading on BBC News
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.