AI datacenters can recycle cooling water loops, but evaporated steam is gone for good
AryHHAry · x · 2026-09-30
Indonesian user AryHHAry explains why AI datacenter water use is more nuanced than "why don't they just recycle":
- Closed-loop systems circulate water with minimal consumption; evaporative cooling loses water as vapor, and the remaining blowdown — concentrated with inhibitors, biocides and minerals — cannot be reused indefinitely and must be discharged or pipes clog.
- High chemical content in output water isn't proof recycling is absent; it's the residue of concentration. The loop can be reused; the vapor cannot.
- The real regulatory gap: rules typically govern intake and discharge permits, rarely the more decisive ordering — securing a separate water source before switching servers on. The right question isn't whether recycling exists, but whether it cuts into residents' supply or merely circulates inside the building.
Related event: Indonesian netizen unpacks AI data center water use debate(5 posts)→
More from Infra
- Cloudflare opens Monetization Gateway beta to charge AI agents via HTTP 402 — michellechen · 2026-09-30
- Cloudflare launches Workers Issues: built-in error monitoring that feeds production failures straight to your coding agent — ritakozlov · 2026-09-30
- Synopsys signs $1B+ Amazon silicon IP deal as agentic EDA emerges as chip design's next revenue layer — BenBajarin · 2026-09-30
- Databricks Lakebase Search Goes GA With Vector ANN and True BM25 Text Search — Wise_Ear_4064 · 2026-09-30
- UK AISI test shows an autonomous AI cyberattack can cost as little as $1.19 — OmarUFlorez · 2026-09-30
- Vital Optics reportedly lands 6-inch InP substrate orders from a leading global customer — zephyr_z9 · 2026-09-30