AI Technology's Thirst: 2,500 Olympic-Sized Pools Worth of Water

Microsoft's global water consumption for AI technology spiked by over a third in a year, equivalent to filling more than 2,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools with nearly 1.7 billion gallons of water. OpenAI and Google also acknowledged increased water usage due to the demand for AI. The cooling of supercomputers used to build large language models like ChatGPT requires significant amounts of water, with Microsoft-backed OpenAI using water from rivers in Iowa. Researchers are calling attention to the environmental impact of generative AI tools and the need for resource conservation. Microsoft and OpenAI have expressed commitments to monitor and improve their energy and water efficiency to meet sustainability goals.