Field Notes
The water behind the world's compute.
Notes on data center cooling water, the AI water problem, and why recovering water on site with ICP beats chasing new supply.
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Where Data Center Cooling Water Goes: Evaporation, Blowdown, and Discharge
Follow data center cooling water through evaporation, cooling tower blowdown, discharge, and recovery, with clear definitions and sourced guidance.
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How to Estimate Data Center Peak Water Demand
Estimate data center peak water demand using IT load, utilization, operating hours, cooling design, climate, and a documented WUE assumption.
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Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE): What It Measures and Misses
Learn how data center WUE is calculated, what a lower value means, why boundaries matter, and what WUE misses about peak demand and water risk.
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Data Center Water Consumption: Where the Water Goes and How to Reduce It
See how much water data centers use, where cooling water goes, how WUE works, and why recovering cooling tower blowdown can reduce demand.
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Data Center Cooling: The Water and Energy Tradeoff
Bruce Crawford shares lessons from a data center cooling summit on balancing onsite water, electricity, power-plant water, and community trust.
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The AI Water Problem: How Data Centers Use Water
AI adds compute and heat. Bruce Crawford explains where data center cooling water goes, why simple fixes fall short, and when blowdown recovery is relevant.
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