Nvidia says its AI data center design runs hotter to use a lot less water

Nvidia has designed a new data center system that uses 100 percent liquid cooling and runs servers at higher temperatures to dramatically reduce water consumption. According to the company's head of sustainability, this reference design cuts water use from roughly 2.6 million gallons per megawatt per year to near zero, representing up to a 100 percent reduction compared to conventional cooling-tower-based systems. The system works by capturing heat directly at the chip and transporting it through liquid loops at much higher temperatures, allowing outdoor dry coolers to reject heat efficiently. This development addresses public concern about data centers' water and energy consumption, though it does not address other environmental impacts from data center construction and power generation requirements.