Not enough water for UK’s datacentre plans, trade body says

The UK will not have enough water for future datacentres, the water industry has said in stark criticism of the government's AI growth plans. Datacentres rely on large amounts of water to manage heat from servers, and the trade body warns that the government's failure to address cooling demands makes AI growth plans 'fatally flawed'.

Not enough water for UK’s datacentre plans, trade body says By Pippa Neill Environment reporterSource: The Guardian Technology https://www.theguardian.com/us/technology Industry says government’s failure to address cooling demands means AI growth plans are ‘fatally flawed’ The UK will not have enough water for future datacentres, the water industry has said in stark criticism of the government’s AI growth plans. Datacentres rely on large amounts of water to manage the heat generated by densely packed servers. Cooling towers, chillers and humidification systems make direct use of this water, with large volumes also consumed indirectly through high electrical power needs. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/21/not-enough-water-for-uks-datacentre-plans-trade-body-says Get AI news in your inbox Daily digest of what matters in AI.