The Physical World Behind AI, the Tech Innovations library
Heat, Cooling and Water
Heat, Cooling and Water
Why Does an AI Chip Need a Cooling System?
Almost every unit of electricity an AI chip uses becomes heat, and that heat has to be carried away continuously for the chip to keep working.
Heat, Cooling and Water
How Do AI Data Centres Actually Stay Cool?
Cooling an AI data centre is a chain: capture the heat at the chip, carry it out of the hall, and release it outdoors, with a choice of air, liquid or both at each link.
Heat, Cooling and Water
How Much Water Does AI Use, and Where Is It Counted?
Estimates of the water behind one AI answer range from a few drops to a small glass, mostly because they count different things.
Heat, Cooling and Water
Where Does Cooling Water Actually Go?
In a data centre that cools with water, most of the water leaves as vapour, some is drained away to keep the system clean, and a little escapes as mist.
Heat, Cooling and Water
Can an AI Data Centre Be Cooled Without Freshwater?
Yes, it can be done, by closing the water loop, releasing heat to the air, or using water that nobody would drink, and each route has its own cost.
Heat, Cooling and Water
Can the Ocean Cool a Data Centre?
Yes: cool seawater can take heat from a sealed freshwater loop through a heat exchanger, and at least one large data centre already works this way.
Heat, Cooling and Water
If Warm Water Goes Back to Sea, What Happens to Marine Life?
Taking in seawater and returning it warmer can affect sea life in two places, at the intake and at the outfall, and both are regulated and can be designed to do less harm.
Heat, Cooling and Water
Does Saving Water Cost More Electricity?
Often it does: cooling by evaporation saves electricity but uses water, and cooling without it saves water but uses more electricity, so the two must be judged together.