Data Center Cooling Revolution: Water-to-Chemical Transition Threatens Market Equilibrium

1. 6-Month Narrative Velocity vs. Exposure Friction

2. Theater of Competition Matrix (90-Day Trajectory)

A new ChemSec report finds most of the world's largest PFAS producers are expanding output to meet demand from AI data centers.

In 2019, Washington adopted legislation requiring electric utilities to go carbon-neutral in a decade. Yet lawmakers continued to promote the growth of energy-g...

Everything you need to know before you reach the office this morning.

A new ChemSec report finds most of the world's largest PFAS producers are expanding output to meet demand from AI data centers.

It seems to be a catch-22 from a noted criticism of data centers: water usage. Newer cooling systems in these facilities are using fluorinated chemicals that include PFAS instead of water. The world’s biggest makers of “forever chemicals” pulled in roughly $4 billion in profit in 2022, against an estimated $17.5 trillion a year in societal costs—healthcare, cleanup, contaminated water—according to an earlier 2023 analysis by ChemSec. Thanks to the AI ...

Data centers are swapping water for forever chemicals to keep AI cool ...Middle East PressBee The midterms are six weeks away and...

A new ChemSec report finds most of the world's largest PFAS producers are expanding output to meet demand from AI data centers.

A new ChemSec report finds most of the world's largest PFAS producers are expanding output to meet demand from AI data centers.

AI data-centre growth is driving demand for fluorinated cooling fluids that can reduce water use, while environmental groups warn leaks and disposal could worsen PFAS pollution.

Data centers are adopting PFAS-based immersion cooling to handle AI heat loads, cutting water use by up to 90% while raising environmental

AI data centers are facing scrutiny over the use of PFAS, or forever chemicals, in their cooling systems and semiconductor production.

AI data-centre growth is driving demand for fluorinated cooling fluids that can reduce water use, while environmental groups warn leaks and disposal could worsen PFAS pollution.

Experts warn of a global surge in PFAS production driven by AI and data centers.

PFAS forever chemicals are core to AI datacentre cooling and chip production, raising contamination risks that efficiency claims alone cannot offset.

Calls grow for a global ban on PFAS, which are tied to a range of health issues, including various cancers.

Campaigners warn that the same surge driving demand for chips and data centers could also lock communities into more pollution, higher cleanup costs, and greater health risks from PFAS.

Big manufacturers planning to produce more of the forever chemicals to meet demand from datacentres

Data centers host tens of thousands of servers that run 24/7 in order to keep virtual networks, cloud storage, and computing in operation. Such…

As companies search for ways to cool powerful AI servers, WRAL found key gaps in what we know about the chemicals they could use.

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This resource addresses some general concerns and questions about how data center operations could alter water availability and affect the quality of our shared surface water, underground water, and public water systems. The extensive demands for cloud storage, streaming services, and artificial ...

On top of air pollution, data centers are contributing to a precipitous rise in forever chemical and crude oil discharge.

The essential chemicals powering AI data centers: from ultrapure water to specialty coolants. How chemistry enables next-generation computing infrastruc...

Systems ranked No. 1 Shenzhen Cloud Computing Center LineShine (National Supercomputing Centre in Shenzhen (NSCS) China , June 2026 – Present) [ 34 ] HPE Cray El Capitan ( Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory United States , November 2024 – June 2026) [ 35 ] HPE Cray Frontier ( Oak Ridge National Laboratory United States , June 2022 – November 2024) [ 36 ] Supercomputer Fugaku ( Riken Center for Computational Science Japan , June 2020 – June 2022) [ 37 ] IBM Summit ( Oak Ridge National Laboratory United States , June 2018 – June 2020) [ 38 ] NRCPC Sunway TaihuLight (National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi China , June 2016 – November 2017) NUDT Tianhe-2 A (National Supercomputing Center of Guangzhou China , June 2013 – June 2016) Cray Titan ( Oak Ridge National Laboratory United States , November 2012 – June 2013) [ 39 ] IBM Sequoia Blue Gene/Q ( Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory United States , June 2012 – November 2012) [ 40 ] Fujitsu K computer ( Riken Advanced Institute for Computational Science Japan , June 2011 – June 2012) NUDT Tianhe-1 A ( National Supercomputing Center of Tianjin China , November 2010 – June 2011) Cray Jaguar ( Oak Ridge National Laboratory United States , November 2009 – November 2010) IBM Roadrunner ( Los Alamos National Laboratory United States , June 2008 – November 2009) IBM Blue Gene /L ( Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory United States , November 2004 – June 2008) [ 41 ] NEC Earth Simulator (Earth Simulator Center Japan , June 2002 – November 2004) IBM ASCI White ( Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory United States , November 2000 – June 2002) Intel ASCI Red ( Sandia National Laboratories United States , June 1997 – November 2000) [ 42 ] Hitachi CP-PACS ( University of Tsukuba Japan , November 1996 – June 1997) Hitachi SR2201 ( University of Tokyo Japan , June 1996 – November 1996) Fujitsu Numerical Wind Tunnel ( National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan Japan , November 1994 – June 1996) Intel Paragon XP/S 140 ( Sandia National Laboratories United States , June 1994 – November 1994) Fujitsu Numerical Wind Tunnel ( National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan Japan , November 1993 – June 1994) TMC CM-5 ( Los Alamos National Laboratory United States , June 1993 – November 1993)

Greatest. Idea. Ever. Saving the world one idea at a time. Amidst all the AI hoopla is the growing backlash against data centers even if AI itself is viewed positively. That’s due to their environmental impact, specifically how much water they are using, in areas that are facing severe droughts due to Climate Change. In the Western U.S. data centers are even being strategically built over the country’s largest freshwater reservoir. A smart place to build them if you’re #1 concern is the long-term health of AI and not actual people. However, NVIDIA, who has benefited the most from the AI boom, may have a solution. A new cooling method that they claim will reduce the dependency on water usage by 100%! Gizmodo explains: “Traditionally, the bulk of data centers’ water usage comes from cooling the AI chips housed inside, as they perform their constant, energy-demanding computations. Nvidia says its breakthrough lies in a new, ‘closed-loop’ cooling system, which recycles a liquid coolant made of three-quarters water and one-quarter propylene glycol—a chemical recipe similar to that used for the antifreeze that goes into a car’s engine.

Rather than worrying about the quantity of water, it’s best to ask how a particular data center uses water. In general, water is always used for the same thing—to keep the computer chips inside these buildings cool—but there are many different methods for doing so. Broadly speaking, data centers can either expel the heat those chips generate with cooling towers, which evaporate water, or with air-cooled chillers or similar technologies that use electricity to vent away hot air. Think of cooling towers as human sweat, which passively cools us down as it evaporates, and chillers as car radiators, which use a chemical coolant and then blow air to physically push out the heat. The AI industry has settled on the car-radiator approach for many of its biggest, most controversial data centers. They run water directly into the servers to pull away heat, cycle the water down through an air chiller, and then—crucially—reuse it. That’s how OpenAI’s Stargate data center in Texas, Meta’s Hyperion data center in Louisiana, Microsoft’s Fairwater data centers across the country, and many other enormous facilities operate for most of the year. Such closed-loop systems don’t lose water to evaporation, which is likely what Altman was referencing when he called concerns over water “insane”: Once these data centers have water, they don’t need more of it, in theory, because it’s never used up.

Trump is fast-tracking AI data centers as EPA ignores their potential 'forever chemicals' Data centers require a massive amount of water to cool their systems, which heat up as they process digital information through numerous computers and network servers. Systems that aren’t “closed loop” have to cycle out water that doesn’t evaporate. Most data centers in Virginia are permitted to discharge water into municipal wastewater systems, the same place household water goes to be treated and recycled for consumption. But there’s limited data tracking of potential chemicals in data centers’ discharge water. At least one data center is permitted to discharge directly into a natural water source in the state: Northeast Creek in Louisa County. Another is applying for a similar permit to discharge into nearby Sedges Creek which feeds into Lake Anna. That water is pretreated before being released into the creek and has limits to certain metals and temperature set by the Department of Environmental Quality. But the knowledge gaps about the chemical makeup of data centers’ water discharge poses major questions over whether “forever chemicals” could be contaminating water from the facilities, posing risks to human and environmental health. Cooling the waters Amazon’s Lake Anna Tech Park project will include an evaporative water cooling system, which is what they use in the Northeast Creek location. The H2O will come from well water until industrial systems are hooked up. At that point, the water will be run through a “membrane” that cools the air and fans will blow it onto the data halls containing the computers. Amazon – which operates dozens of data centers in the state – explained that at the two Louisa sites they are only using the evaporation method a small portion of the year; the rest of the time they pull in air from outside for cooling. Water sent through an evaporative cooling system is considered non-contact, meaning it does not directly touch the computer equipment. “In Louisa County, we rely on outside natural air-cooling for about 96% of the year and only use water-based cooling during the hottest periods, which is about 4% of annual operations,” Amazon said in a statement. After a few cycles the water has to be released. The system dechlorinates the water and manages pH balance before sending it into the creek. “As part of this process, cooling water needs to be periodically discharged; this cooling water is called ‘non-contact cooling water.’ It never touches IT equipment, and it’s treated before release in alignment with state environmental standards,” an Amazon representative said.

The inside story of how AI got good enough to dominate Silicon Valley Alex Krizhevsky didn’t get into the AI business to change the course of history. Alex Krizhevsky didn’t get into the AI business to change the course of history. Krizhevsky, born in Ukraine but raised in Canada, was just looking to delay getting a coding job when he reached out to Geoff Hinton about doing a computer-science PhD program in AI at the University of Toronto. The fateful moment was when, as a graduate student, Krizhevsky and a fellow student named Ilya Sutskever, decided to enter the ImageNet competition, a test for AI consisting of a huge database of online images. The competition, open to anyone in the world, was to evaluate algorithms designed for large-scale object detection and image classification. The point wasn’t just to crown a winner, but to test a hypothesis: with the right algorithm, the massive amount data in the ImageNet database could be the key to unlocking AI’s potential. The two grad students, working with Hinton as an advisor, decided to enter the 2012 competition using a fringe idea: an artificial neural network designed by Krizhevsky. The approach dominated the contest, beating every other research lab by a huge 10.8% margin.

Results After Zero Day came to pass, HADES activated a total of three times - in 2154, 2161 and 2168 - resetting non-viable biospheres, wiping out all life it had created.[4] The Extinction Signal Nearly 900 years after HADES last activated,[7] GAIA Prime received a signal sent by Nemesis from Sirius. The signal's purpose was to transform HADES into an independent self-aware entity[6] to destroy Earth's biosphere to prevent Far Zenith, Nemesis' creators, from finding refuge there,[8] as well as containing data on how to deactivate their personal shields.[9] While HADES was the sole intended recipient,[10] the other eight subordinate functions were similarly transformed into self-aware AIs. HADES then sought to reduce the biosphere back to zero, as per its purpose. To do so, it attempted to seize control of the terraforming system from GAIA. Unable to fend it off, GAIA resorted to self-destructing by overloading the GAIA Prime reactor in an effort to destroy HADES. However, HADES released a virus that unshackled it from GAIA Prime by destroying the coding that bound it and the other subordinate functions to the facility, and thus escaped the site before it was destroyed.[6] When GAIA self-destructed, HADES sent back notice of that to Nemesis, along with the fact that he had failed its objective, which took 8.611 years to reach Nemesis.[10] HADES found refuge in the still-functional computer core of the remains of an FAS-BOR7 Horus deep in the jungles of the Jewel. Trapped and unable to move or interact with the environment, HADES began broadcasting a signal in the hope that someone would detect it and come to its aid, which was detected by a wanderer named Sylens with his newly repaired Focus. A self-styled researcher, Sylens had a deep obsession with the knowledge and technology of the humans of the Old World, referred to as the Old Ones. Years of finding and interacting with their technology from exploration of various ruins of their civilization had given him extensive experience with, and understanding of, their technology, starting with his discovery and use of a Focus. Indeed, it was his Focus that detected HADES's signal. Tracking the signal, Sylens found the trapped AI, and used his experience and understanding to repair the computer core housing it to the point where it could communicate verbally.[11][12] HADES questioned Sylens about the Spire; its location, the surrounding geography and who controlled the land. Sylens supplied the information, with HADES providing knowledge and education in return. The Spire was in fact one of a global network of transmission towers built by MINERVA, another of GAIA's subordinate functions, who had used the towers to broadcast the shut-down codes for the Faro Plague worldwide after brute-forcing them. HADES intended to use this network to broadcast a new signal that would reactivate the robots, allowing it to obliterate the biosphere again, exterminating all life and again leaving the Earth sterile.[9]

About AECOM AECOM is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organizations in more than 150 countries. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOM had revenue of approximately $18.2 billion during fiscal year 2017. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM. [1] Used in the initial stages of wastewater treatment, primary settling tanks separate the solids from liquid wastewater by allowing solids to settle to the bottom of these tanks. The settled solids, also known as sludge, will be removed for biogas generation while the liquid wastewater is then sent for secondary treatment. Lamella primary settling tanks uses inclined plates which increases the maximum efficient surface area for solids to settle on with the same tank space. [2] MBR technology is used in the treatment of wastewater. A bioreactor houses naturally-occurring bacteria which break down waste products in wastewater, after which microfiltration/ ultrafiltration membranes – with fine pores invisible to the eye – filter the remaining impurities. MBR is a more efficient method as it optimises the wastewater treatment process, enabling wastewater to be treated using less steps and less space compared to conventional systems, and produces a higher quality treated effluent. The treated water is then used as feedwater for NEWater production or supplied to industries.

Big Tech executives claim that these hyperscale data centers are the future of America. But advocates against the centers, like AI ethicist Masheika Allgood—founder of AllAI (pronounced “ally”)—believe the current race to build data centers is driven solely by monetary gain. How Data Centers Are Cooled Data centers have traditionally used air-conditioning to cool their clusters of interconnected server racks, which house the processors and generate large amounts of heat. These racks are organized into hot and cold aisles. The servers face the cold aisle where cool air is circulated, and the heat pulled by the cool air is vented into the hot aisle that faces the air conditioner’s return ducts. Big Tech executives claim that these hyperscale data centers are the future of America. Traditional data centers use central processing units (CPUs), which can handle general business applications and data storage. AI data centers use AI accelerators or AI chips, including graphics processing units (GPUs). A GPU is the hardware that powers software and accelerates its operations. In comparison to CPUs, GPUs and accelerators handle much larger and more complex workloads, requiring them to run longer, be more energy-intensive, and use more water for cooling. In more “energy-efficient” centers, server racks are cooled by cold air, and there’s no direct water usage. These systems are connected to a chilled-water unit, which companies like Google promote as more efficient, sustainable, and water-friendly, because water-cooled data centers consume around 10 percent less energy than air-cooled centers. But in new data centers powering larger AI and generative AI workloads, air cooling alone can’t support the growing capacity. These newer AI data centers use two main forms of liquid cooling: evaporative cooling and closed-loop system cooling. In evaporative cooling, cold water is poured on a hot surface, and heat is extracted through the steam, leaving behind cooled pipes of liquid. In this system, the evaporated water can’t touch the servers directly, as the moisture can corrode the equipment. In a closed-loop system, two pipe loops are connected by a heat exchange unit, which allows cold water to constantly be running through the server racks. One loop runs through the racks, carrying cool water that extracts the heat from them. A second loop pulls heat out via the heat exchange unit, carries it to the evaporative cooling system, and then recirculates the cold water back to the servers through the first loop. In some systems, that first loop may also carry a liquid coolant consisting of PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” which could have adverse health effects for surrounding communities, Allgood explained in an interview with NPQ. Additionally, some centers use a method of immersive liquid cooling where fresh cool water is sprayed directly onto hot spots in the chips and the hot water is then taken out. It’s unclear if that hot water is contaminated with any chemicals from the chips. It’s also unclear where that hot water goes—whether it’s recirculated into a cooling system and reused or dumped out. Many environmental advocates oppose these evaporative cooling systems because evaporated water can’t be recovered and reused. And while some have characterized closed-loop systems as a more environmentally friendly alternative, Allgood explained that even though some of that water is being reused, the two loops do not actually minimize water loss. “Closed loop just means that one of those loops never leaves the system,” Allgood said. The second heat exchange loop isn’t actually a closed-off loop, as water does eventually evaporate. Allgood views this as a greenwashed solution—this type of system can’t function without a heat exchange unit because there wouldn’t be another way to extract the heat without the second loop. And that requires evaporative cooling. Air cooling could be an alternative, but that wouldn’t meet the needs of hyperscale data centers, Allgood explains. The AI chips in those server racks can reach temperatures up to 194 degrees Fahrenheit per chip. When hundreds of thousands of chips are packed into hundreds of server racks, liquid cooling is the only solution.

DuPontTM FilmTecTM FortilifeTM XC220 Element Named a Sustainability Product of the Year for Advancing Industrial Water Circularity DuPontTM FilmTecTM FortilifeTM XC220 element has been named a Sustainability Product of the Year by the Business Intelligence Group for its contribution to advancing industrial water reuse, resource recovery, and more sustainable Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) and Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) operations. The FilmTecTM FortilifeTM XC220 element is a high-pressure reverse osmosis solution designed to help industrial operators maximize water recovery and increase brine concentration to levels of up to 220 g/L NaCl, extending membrane-based treatment further into applications traditionally reliant on energy-intensive thermal processes. DuPont Water Solutions won Silver at the 2026 Edison Awards for the FilmTecTM FortilifeTM XC160UHP element, which improves water recovery from wastewater while lowering energy use and carbon emissions. DuPont Water Solutions has been honored with the 2026 WateReuse Award for Excellence in the Transformational Innovation category for DuPontTM FilmTecTM FortilifeTM XC160UHP reverse osmosis elements. Tina Arrowood, Ph.D., the Global Sustainability Leader for DuPont Water Solutions, has been recognized by the Business Intelligence Group as a 2025 “Sustainability Champion” for her contributions to more sustainable water practices worldwide Steve Jons—named a DuPont 2025 Lavoisier Medalist for Lifetime Technical Achievement for his contributions to nanofiltration and reverse osmosis for the purification of municipal drinking water, treatment of offshore oil and gas production water, dairy production, and wastewater reuse. DuPontTM AmberLiteTM P2X110 ion exchange resin, its first mixed bed resin dedicated to the production of green hydrogen, received a Silver Edison Award. Designed to endure the thermal and chemical challenges presented in an electrolyzer, the DuPontTM AmberLiteTM P2X110 ion exchange resin’s specially tailored formula helps provide longer and more robust performance than industry-generic resins. DuPont Water Solutions received a 2025 BIG Innovation Award from the Business Intelligence Group for its technology advancements to more sustainably purify, conserve, and reuse water. Judges also highlighted the value of the Water Solutions Sustainability Navigator, a new digital tool created by DuPont. DuPont Water Solutions has been honored with the Global Sustainability Leadership for Best Implementer of UN SDG-6: Water for All by the International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA). Presented at the IDRA World Congress 2024 in Abu Dhabi, this award celebrates companies at the forefront of sustainable water management, actively contributing to the realization of SDG-6 and fostering a world where everyone has access to clean water and adequate sanitation. FilmTecTM nanofiltration membrane portfolio has been named the 2024 Sustainable Technology of the Year at the Global Sustainability & ESG Awards. Hosted by Sustainability LIVE, the award celebrates technologies that enable more sustainable commerce and the development of greener solutions. FilmTecTM LiNE-XD nanofiltration membrane elements, the company’s first offering dedicated to lithium brine purification, was awarded a 2024 Bronze Edison Award. AmberLiteTM P2X110 ion exchange resin, its first product dedicated to the production of green hydrogen, was honored with a 2024 Business Intelligence Group Sustainability Award. The AmberLiteTM P2X110 ion exchange resin is designed to withstand the unique challenges of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer recirculation loops during the production of hydrogen from water. The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) America announced today that Caleb Funk, Ph.D. is this year’s recipient of the 21st annual Gordon E. Moore medal. SCI established the Gordon E. Moore medal to recognize early-career success in innovation, as reflected both in market impact and improvement to quality of life. DesaliTecTM CCRO Units received the top award in the Water, Waste and Resource Recovery category. The Edie Awards celebrate business sustainability. Closed Circuit Reverse Osmosis (CCRO) technology was awared in supporting industrial and commercial customers’ sustainability goals. DuPont Water Solutions has been named Water Technology Company of the Year, presented at the Global Water Awards, for innovating solutions to sustainably address the hardest global water challenges. In addition to receiving this award, DuPont was also recognized as a significant contributor to the Water Project of the Year award, which was the Jiaxing Drinking Water Upgrade Project in China. OxyMemTM membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) will be used in the Anglian Water Triple Carbon Reduction project, named as one of the nine winners of Ofwat’s Water Breakthrough Challenge, sharing in £36 million to deliver wide scale, transformational change to benefit customers, society, and the environment. Run by Ofwat and Nesta Challenges, in partnership with Arup, the Water Breakthrough Challenge is the second competition delivered under Ofwat’s £200 million Innovation Fund. AmberTecTM UP4000Pd OH ion exchange resin for Ultrapure Water Treatment named 2023 R&D 100 winner which enhances performance and improves the application’s sustainability. FilmTecTM element Prime RO portfolio won the Energy and Sustainability Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for developing a family of energy-efficient reverse osmosis membranes that contribute to the decarbonization of water purification. Carlsberg Group, leveraging water technologies from DuPont, was awarded the Global Industrial Water Reuse Champion Award for its water recycling plant and commitment to water reuse and recycling in its brewing processes. In Yucatán, Mexico, a fabric and apparel manufacturer is striving to enhance its sustainability goals by minimizing water usage per kilogram of textile produced. To accomplish this, the factory has initiated a project focused on Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD), which aims to maximize wastewater recovery for reuse and eliminate any water discharge. This project was recognized by Aladyr as the best water reuse initiative. Dry Seawater Reverse Osmosis FilmTecTM membranes won a Gold award in the Eco-Innovation category. Our innovation is a dry-stable membrane technology with a lower environmental footprint from reduced water usage, shipping weight, and chemical disposal. FilmTecTM elements delivers high performance over the operating lifetime and provides high NaCl and boron rejection to help meet World Health Organization (WHO) and other drinking water standards. DuPont Water Solutions was recognized with the “Industry Technology and Innovation Award” by the independent experts of the Water Reuse & Conservation Awards Committee. Our Minimum Liquid Discharge solution for industrial water recycling was accoladed as an effective and efficient approach to industrial water recycling that is reducing the barriers for producers to sustainably conserve water resources. The DuPont team has been honored for our innovative FilmTecTM FortilifeTM XC160 element. This reverse osmosis element is engineered for ultra-high-pressure operations, setting the stage for sustainable water reuse. It not only minimizes energy use and carbon emissions but also lowers costs for industries worldwide.

Trump is fast-tracking AI data centers as EPA ignores their potential 'forever chemicals' Data centers require a massive amount of water to cool their systems, which heat up as they process digital information through numerous computers and network servers. Systems that aren’t “closed loop” have to cycle out water that doesn’t evaporate. Most data centers in Virginia are permitted to discharge water into municipal wastewater systems, the same place household water goes to be treated and recycled for consumption. But there’s limited data tracking of potential chemicals in data centers’ discharge water. At least one data center is permitted to discharge directly into a natural water source in the state: Northeast Creek in Louisa County. Another is applying for a similar permit to discharge into nearby Sedges Creek which feeds into Lake Anna. That water is pretreated before being released into the creek and has limits to certain metals and temperature set by the Department of Environmental Quality. But the knowledge gaps about the chemical makeup of data centers’ water discharge poses major questions over whether “forever chemicals” could be contaminating water from the facilities, posing risks to human and environmental health.