NOVEMBER 2018CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM8In My ViewEnabling Reliable Data Center Growth In An Era Of Water Scarcity A s people and industries continue to shift to cloud and IoT-based solutions, the cloud computing market is experiencing exponential growth. This expansion, along with the growing global population, will lead to greater demand for goods, services, and natural resourcesnotably water. Data centers and their electricity supply chains require fresh water to deliver the massive amounts of data that the world relies on. A typical cooling system uses up to 8 million gallons of water a year per megawatt of electricity, according to the Uptime Institute, an advisory organization focused on improving the performance, efficiency and reliability of business-critical infrastructure. Currently, much of that supply comes from fresh water. A recent study conducted by Stanford, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, and U.S. Department of Energy researchers estimated that U.S. data centers will require approximately 174 billion gallons of water to maintain operations in 2020. If we continue with business as usual, the global demand for fresh water to support all people and all industries is expected to exceed available supplies by 40 percent by 2030. This imbalance between supply and demand is jeopardizing the reliability of water to support human health, agricultural productivity, and economic development, and to maintain sustainable ecosystems.The scarcity of water, both in terms of quantity and quality, along with greater demand to cool servers, will translate into an increased operational risk for businesses around the world. That's particularly true in places such as California--the most populous state--with over 800 datacenters, more than any other state. Companies, including those that manage big data, are aware of these risks and many have actively increased their water conservation efforts over the past decade. However, since 2011, overall corporate water use has declined by only 10 percent. That's not nearly enough to close the gap. Valuing water as an asset rather than taking it for granted is a paradigm shift that must occur, along with an understanding that water stress is a function of both quantity and quality. This requires a more comprehensive water stewardship approach that assesses risks in three areas: physical (water availability and quality), regulatory, and reputational. Given the growing demand for the public cloud (CAGR 22 percent), it is essential for data centers to adopt an integrated EMILIO TENUTA, VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY, ECOLAB
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