Thread

Improper redaction reveals Google Data Center water and electricity usage

397 points · 517 comments · sensanaty

drnick1 · 1791146204 · focus · HN ↗
So what? Water used for cooling doesn't disappear.
1. minimaxir · 1791147361 · focus · HN ↗
  A lot of people think it does, surprisingly. People memed too hard about "querying ChatGPT drains lakes" and anyone who contested it was deemed a booster, so it stuck.
  1. jryan49 · 1791147713 · focus · HN ↗
    I thought some cooling setups aren't closed loop?
    minimaxir · 1791147762 · focus · HN ↗
    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle
    sensanaty · 1791148184 · focus · HN ↗
    It doesn't mean the water goes back into the same sources it was pulled from, though
    scheme271 · 1791190057 · focus · HN ↗
    Water in the atmosphere doesn't help much when the aquifer that is supplying your water effectively runs out. Even if all that evaporated water comes down as rain in the same region, it still takes years to centuries to get to the aquifer.

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