Google has announced a series of water stewardship commitments as it expands its data centre network, including a pledge by the tech giant to replenish more water than it consumes at its facilities by 2030.
“Data centers are the nerve centers of the digital world, powering our daily lives,” commented Bikash Koley, vice president, Google Global Infrastructure and Ben Townsend, head of infrastructure strategy and sustainability. “As we grow our data center footprint to support these services, we recognise that how we build is just as important as what we build.”
Water usage
The tech giant said that last year, it replenished more than seven billion gallons of water – equivalent to the annual usage of 70,000 average US households – while as of today, it operates 165 water stewardship projects across 97 watersheds.
These projects are expected to replenish more than 19 billion gallons of water annually by 2030, as well as improving broader watershed health challenges such as water quality, it noted.
Google also plans to continue investing in water and wastewater infrastructure in the communities where it develops and operates data centres, noting that to date, it has committed more than $500 million to the development of water, wastewater and water reuse infrastructure, as well as supporting the utility partners involved in same.
Elsewhere, Google has pledged to protect at-risk watersheds by prioritising air-cooling technologies or the use of recycled water at certain facilities, rather than relying on freshwater supplies.
State funding
Alongside the new commitments, Google announced $17 million in funding for water stewardship projects across seven US states, including Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas.
It added that it is also currently reviewing more than 700 proposals submitted through a recent request for information focused on water replenishment projects.
“Water is an essential natural resource that communities work hard to conserve,” Koley and Townsend commented. “Through our water stewardship commitments, we will continue to be responsible and transparent in our water use – protecting the long-term health of the watersheds in communities we call home.” Read more here.
