Microsoft backed AI up with over 22 billion liters of water in 2022. Is it sustainable?

In 2022, Microsoft used more than 22 billion liters of water to power the development of AI technologies, according to a new study, reports Firstpost.

In 2022, Microsoft had consumed about 22 million cubic metres of water, which is equivalent to 22 billion litres of water. That’s enough to fill an Olympic-regulation-sized pool 8800 times over.

Firstpost

The publication also reports that Google and Meta both use large quantities of water to develop AI technologies, although not as much as Microsoft. Compared to the 22 billion liters of water, Google consumed 6-7 billion liters of water, while Meta ‘only’ consumed 2 billion liters.

In 2023, the tech giants consumed even more, although we don’t have access to specific data. It’s safe to say these ways of developing AI technologies are not sustainable. But are they worth it?

Well, AI is a beast in the sense that it consumes a lot of power: we already know that the technology demands a lot of resources, with Microsoft relying on data centers and server farms to keep up with it. These servers also need substantial amounts of water for their cooling systems, some of which can be recycled, but most of, it can’t be, as it evaporates.

If the drive for developing new AI technologies continues this way, Microsoft, along with a few tech giants, will use enough water to equal half of some countries, such as the UK, water consumption by 2027.

This means that on their own, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, will be responsible for a significant part of the water consumption and waste, globally.

We don’t know if it’s worth it: Microsoft, together with OpenAI, and other AI companies, is seeking to reach new AI advancements to create both AGI and ASI, which could potentially elevate society to the next level. While this all sounds like science fiction, these companies said that reaching AGI is possible within this decade alone.

On the other hand, Microsoft and OpenAI have pledged to take a sustainable approach to AI development. More recently, Microsoft said that its new European data centers, used to support the development of AI technologies in Europe, will be built with a sustainable method in mind, saying:

Microsoft’s datacenters are designed to be sustainable and support our goals of being carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste. We believe AI will play a key role in tackling the climate crisis, and capabilities like Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability can help customers quantify carbon impact and measure optimizations.

Microsoft

The Redmond-based tech giant will have to initiate and support sustainable approaches to develop AI technologies moving forward, and there have been requests from environmental and climate change activists and organizations for AI companies to provide full transparency when it comes to water consumption.

Firstpost reports some companies agreed, such as OpenAI, while others, such as Google, have not made a statement on the issue.

Microsoft, the company at the forefront of AI, can potentially change the way AI companies approach this issue: positively, or negatively, of course.