EcoLab: Sustainable Cooling Critical for Data Centre Growth

The rapid growth of AI is redefining the energy and cooling demands of data centres.

High-performance chips and intensive workloads are driving electricity consumption to new heights, pushing providers to rethink cooling architectures in order to stay both competitive and sustainable.

Projections indicate that by 2030, the infrastructure needed to operate large language models could consume 327GW of electricity – equivalent to nearly 70% of all power used in the US in 2024.

With a single generative AI query requiring around 2.9 watt-hours of energy – roughly 10 times more than a traditional search – the demand for more efficient cooling systems has become critical.

This is an area where Ecolab delivers solutions with advanced technologies designed to meet these challenges head-on.

Balancing energy and water use

Power continues to be the primary limiting factor for data centre expansion, but water is proving equally vital.

In many regions, escalating cooling requirements are placing heavy pressure on local watersheds.

For operators, safeguarding both power and water resources has become essential to achieving greater efficiency and long-term resilience.

“When we think about data centres, one is opening every week, and one semiconductor fab every month as well,” says Christophe Beck, CEO of Ecolab, speaking to CNBC. “They all require a lot of water. We estimate that by 2030, we will need the incremental power of the whole of India, and the drinking water needs of the whole of the United States.

“The technology we’re bringing enables data centres to power even more AI in the future, and the same applies for microelectronics.”

Some facilities have explored waterless cooling. But without detailed analysis, these methods can unintentionally increase the hydro footprint. Energy production itself requires large volumes of water: between 570 and 1,100 litres are needed to generate just one megawatt-hour of electricity using natural gas.

Water also has inherent advantages over air. Liquid-cooled data centres typically use 10–30% less energy than those reliant on air-cooled chillers, thanks to water’s much greater heat-carrying capacity. This makes water-cooled systems both efficient and strategic when carefully deployed.

Christophe affirms the sustainability of Ecolabs’ solutions and technology: “It’s sustainable because the new technologies use little to no water. In the past, data centres were cooled with air conditioning in large rooms. Tomorrow, it’s going to be direct-to-chip cooling. There’s no water involved. It’s just a liquid that flows directly to the chip, with much greater AI power as a result.”

Designing cooling with flexibility

Sustainable cooling strategies start with site selection.

Assessing local climate, power sources, water availability and watershed impact all help determine the most effective long-term solution.

Facilities then require flexible designs that not only support current workloads but can adapt to shifting demands in the years ahead.

This means layering multiple cooling approaches from site level down to the chip.

Direct-to-chip systems, for instance, can ease the strain on broader infrastructure like chillers and cooling towers.

By distributing the workload in this way, data centres are able to reduce both power and water consumption.

Once running, these infrastructures must be continuously monitored.

Advanced digital tools measure performance, pinpoint inefficiencies and enable operators to respond dynamically to changing conditions.

The result is greater reliability, improved efficiency and reduced risk of unplanned outages.

To illustrate the scale, a 100MW data centre with optimised water management can use less water in a year than an 18-hole golf course.

However, unlike golf courses, data centre water usage fluctuates hour by hour – shaped by cooling load, water quality, ambient climate, humidity and mechanical performance.

Effective cooling systems must therefore adjust in real time to balance efficiency with resilience.

Digital monitoring and operational efficiency

With demand accelerating, it is impossible for any single developer to evaluate every cooling decision across design, operation and maintenance. 

Partnering with specialist suppliers helps close this gap, giving operators access to end-to-end expertise.

These partners can harness performance data to inform smarter choices, anticipate potential issues and minimise operational risk.

At the heart of this approach is digital monitoring, which identifies anomalies early and equips operators with the insights needed to fine-tune system performance.

This not only optimises the use of power and water but also enhances sustainability and drives significant cost efficiencies.

“For us, it has always been a question of performance,” Christophe says. “It’s about helping businesses and industries make more money and invest more in the future. 

“If our solutions help data centres operate with little or no water, that’s good for the tech companies, good for consumers and good for the environment. In fact, most data centres in the future won’t use more water than a single car wash in a local community. It’s a good deal for everyone.”

Building sustainability into strategy

For cooling systems to achieve true sustainability, efficiency needs to be embedded at every stage of development.

This process begins well before construction, with site selection that accounts for grid capacity, local climate conditions, and the needs of surrounding communities.

During the design phase, methods such as adiabatic cooling and direct-to-chip liquid cooling can significantly reduce electricity consumption.

Once facilities are operational, initiatives around water reuse and recycling help ease dependence on potable water sources.

To ensure these measures remain effective over time, digital monitoring is essential.

By adapting strategies in line with evolving workloads, operators can maintain competitiveness while protecting scarce resources.