Information has been released about an AI data center to be built in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, in the near future. It would be using water from Lake Michigan to function. Many citizens are concerned with these plans and others, not so much.
AI has taken over by storm. In order for AI to function, more and more data center centers are built and put into great use. These centers house the specialized IT infrastructure like powerful processors, storage and high-speed networks. They feature advanced cooling and power systems to manage the heat generated and high energy consumption.
They cause issues such as increased energy consumption, which strains power grids and can lead to higher electricity prices. AI data centers affect us through many ways, many effects directly impacting our environment.
Microsoft will be building its first AI data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, which will be, “one of the most powerful in the world,” using advanced technology like liquid cooling and hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs to power AI models. The initial investment is over $3.3 billion. With a second data center planned, that will bring the total investment to $7.3 billion.
The AI growth rate is extremely high which is skyrocketing the digital demand, making it imperative to expand data centers.
According to statistics from Brookings, “It is estimated that the generative AI market is accelerating around 40% a year and is projected to increase from $43.9 billion in 2023 to nearly $1 trillion in 2032.”
According to the Alliance for the Great Lakes, “Between 20% and 40% of the Great Lakes’ water budget (the total water flowing in and out of the system) originates as groundwater, and between 40% and 75% of Great Lakes state residents rely on groundwater as their drinking water source.”
Citizens are worried as to how this coming data center will affect Lake Michigan and surrounding environment.
“Any time that you use water to cool something down, that water has to go somewhere,” Environmental Science teacher at MCHS Kaley Young says. “Usually they return it back into the environment that they got it from. So in this case, I imagine that is going to cause thermal pollution.”
“The first phase of Microsoft’s data center campus would use a peak of 234,000 gallons per day or 2.8 million gallons per year,” according to WPR. “Under subsequent phases, the campus would use a peak of 702,000 gallons per day or 8.4 million gallons annually.”
Out of the 2.8 million, it’s estimated only just over 2 million gallons will be returned to the lake.
While these numbers seem slightly threatening, other citizens don’t have as much worry.
“It sounds like a big number; 2.8 million gallons,” Brad Smith, the President of Microsoft said according to a transcript obtained by the Badger Institute. “It is the amount of water that it would take to build four Olympic-sized swimming pools.
As data centers expand, it’s expected that they are going to start looking for other forms of electricity to use. They require mass amounts of power to perform with the growing usage of AI.
According to Brookings, “The bulk of American electricity currently comes from fossil fuels such as natural gas (43%) and coal (16%), followed by wind, solar, and thermal (21% together), and nuclear energy (18%).”
“Environment should be the number one priority,” Young says. “AI makes everything so much easier. Even from a teaching standpoint, it’s a very helpful tool, but it is very damaging for the environment because of all the water that it requires. It can make you feel bad for using it.”