The debate over data centre water consumption is often built around one misleading assumption: that every facility uses the same cooling system.
In a recent article, data centre industry professional Russ Dailey argues that even a water-intensive 100-megawatt facility may consume the same amount of water as a mid-sized Phoenix-area golf course. He also explains that newer facilities increasingly use closed-loop liquid cooling or air-cooled systems, which can dramatically reduce onsite water consumption.
Source Geothermal agrees with that central point. Water claims should always distinguish between evaporative, hybrid, air-cooled and closed-loop systems. Modern data centres are not automatically massive consumers of municipal water, and outdated assumptions should not shape infrastructure policy.
However, closing the server-side water loop does not eliminate the heat. It simply moves that heat to another part of the cooling system, where it must ultimately be rejected into the environment.
In moderate climates, dry air cooling can accomplish this with minimal water. In places such as Phoenix, Riyadh or Abu Dhabi, extreme ambient temperatures make heat rejection more difficult. Operators may reduce water consumption, but require substantially more electricity to run fans, pumps, compressors and chillers. Water usage can also occur indirectly through the power generation supplying the facility.
This is why “zero water” should not be treated as the only measure of sustainable cooling. The better objective is to reduce the combined burden of water use, electricity demand, cooling costs and emissions without compromising reliability.
Geothermal-enabled cooling offers another pathway. By accessing stable subsurface temperatures and integrating them with closed-loop and direct-to-liquid systems, data centres can reduce their exposure to outdoor heat while limiting both water consumption and cooling-related power demand.
Dailey is right that the water debate needs better context. The next step is evaluating the entire thermal system—not only what happens inside the server loop.
Source: Russ Dailey, “What Data Centers Actually Do With Water,” LinkedIn, September 3, 2026.
