Data center guzzled 30 million gallons of water and nobody noticed for months
Data center guzzled 30 million gallons of water and nobody noticed for months
数据中心偷喝 3000 万加仑水，数月无人察觉
A curious case in Georgia serves as a warning for many parts of the US hastily approving data center developments without first updating their water systems to better monitor for severe upticks in usage. On Friday, Politico reported that one of the country’s biggest data center developments had guzzled nearly 30 million gallons of water without paying for it. 佐治亚州发生的一起离奇案件为美国许多地区敲响了警钟：在未先升级供水系统以更好地监测用水量激增的情况下，就匆忙批准数据中心开发项目是极其危险的。周五，《政客》（Politico）报道称，美国最大的数据中心开发项目之一在未付费的情况下，“偷喝”了近 3000 万加仑的水。
Even worse, the water grab came at a time when nearby drought-stricken residents were warned to restrict their personal water consumption and some reported sudden decreases in water pressure. An investigation conducted by utility officials in Georgia’s Fayette County found that the Quality Technology Services (QTS) facility had two industrial-scale water hookups that weren’t being monitored. 更糟糕的是，这种“偷水”行为发生时，当地正遭受旱灾，居民被警告限制个人用水，一些人甚至报告称水压突然下降。佐治亚州费耶特县（Fayette County）公用事业官员的调查发现，Quality Technology Services (QTS) 设施有两个未受监控的工业级供水接口。
“One water connection had been installed without the utility’s knowledge, and the other was not linked to the company’s account and therefore wasn’t being billed,” Politico reported. QTS eventually paid about $150,000 for the water, but there were no consequences for exceeding peak limits established by the county during the data center planning process. 据《政客》报道：“其中一个供水接口是在公用事业部门不知情的情况下安装的，另一个则未与该公司的账户关联，因此一直未被计费。”QTS 最终支付了约 15 万美元的水费，但对于其超出县政府在数据中心规划过程中设定的峰值限制的行为，并未受到任何处罚。
Frustrating residents, the county declined to fine QTS. Fayette County’s water system director, Vanessa Tigert, told Politico that the decision was partly because the county blamed itself and didn’t want to offend QTS. “They’re our largest customer, and we have to be partners,” Tigert said. “It’s called customer service.” 令居民感到沮丧的是，县政府拒绝罚款 QTS。费耶特县供水系统主管 Vanessa Tigert 对《政客》表示，这一决定部分是因为县政府认为自己也有责任，且不想得罪 QTS。“他们是我们最大的客户，我们必须成为合作伙伴，”Tigert 说，“这叫客户服务。”
Notably, the main reason the water usage was overlooked is that the county is transitioning from outdated water meters to a smart, cloud-based system that is supposed to make it easier to track leaks and other unexpected drains on the county’s water system. Tigert also told Politico that the county failed to notice the water usage because it’s understaffed, explaining that the only worker available to inspect meters is “spread pretty thin.” 值得注意的是，用水量被忽视的主要原因是该县正从老旧水表过渡到智能云端系统，该系统本应能更轻松地追踪泄漏和其他意外的供水损耗。Tigert 还告诉《政客》，县政府未能察觉用水量是因为人手不足，并解释说唯一负责检查水表的员工“分身乏术”。
Ultimately, the county dismissed QTS’s excess water usage as a “procedural mix-up,” Tigert said, retroactively charging QTS at a higher construction rate for the water but imposing no penalties for taking more water than the county expected. Tigert 表示，最终县政府将 QTS 的超额用水归咎为“程序性失误”，仅对 QTS 补收了较高的建筑用水费，并未因其超出预期用水量而施加任何惩罚。
Asked for comment, QTS told Ars that it’s “false and inaccurate” to suggest the facility “used any water improperly.” “Once this billing issue was flagged, QTS paid all charges,” QTS said. “All water usage followed relevant and applicable regulations.” 在被要求置评时，QTS 告诉 Ars，暗示该设施“不当用水”是“虚假且不准确的”。QTS 表示：“一旦计费问题被指出，QTS 就支付了所有费用。所有用水均符合相关适用法规。”
QTS also pointed to statements from county officials denying residents’ claims that the facility’s excess water usage had decreased water pressure across the county system. Residents complaining about water pressure relied on wells, the county has said, while QTS does not draw water from wells or groundwater. QTS 还引用了县政府官员的声明，否认了居民关于该设施超额用水导致全县水压下降的说法。县政府称，抱怨水压的居民使用的是水井，而 QTS 并不从水井或地下水取水。
Moving forward, the county confirmed that QTS’s water hookups will now be accurately monitored. Additionally, QTS emphasized that after construction, the facility’s water needs will drastically drop. However, residents are likely still stinging after receiving county notices recommending they restrict their water consumption due to ongoing drought conditions in the area. And some have lost trust in both QTS and the county. 展望未来，县政府确认 QTS 的供水接口现在将得到准确监控。此外，QTS 强调，施工完成后，该设施的用水需求将大幅下降。然而，由于该地区持续干旱，居民在收到县政府建议限制用水的通知后，心中恐怕仍有芥蒂，且有些人已对 QTS 和县政府失去了信任。
James Clifton, an attorney and property rights advocate who first exposed the QTS controversy after submitting a public records request, told Politico that he’s upset that QTS will face no consequences simply because “most months” they’re the county’s “No. 1 customer.” “The first thing they do is lean on the individuals and the citizens to stop water consumption when we have QTS that’s just absolutely draining us,” Clifton said. 律师兼财产权倡导者 James Clifton 在提交公共记录请求后首次曝光了 QTS 的争议。他告诉《政客》，他感到愤怒的是，QTS 仅仅因为“大多数月份”是该县的“第一大客户”就无需承担任何后果。“当我们有 QTS 这样在疯狂消耗我们资源的企业时，他们首先做的却是施压个人和市民去节约用水，”Clifton 说。
AI industry can’t easily solve water crisis
AI 行业无法轻易解决水危机
Increased demand for water to fuel America’s AI ambitions comes just as crumbling water systems across the country require upgrades, and, unsurprisingly, many AI firms expect AI to help address water supply problems in the industry. In a report on Monday, The Information explained why the water-supply question is a problem for the entire AI industry to solve—not just data centers, which are already finding ways to reduce and reuse water. 随着美国 AI 雄心对水资源的需求激增，全国各地老化的供水系统正亟需升级。不出所料，许多 AI 公司期望 AI 能帮助解决行业内的供水问题。《信息报》（The Information）周一的一份报告解释了为什么供水问题是整个 AI 行业需要解决的难题，而不仅仅是数据中心的问题，因为数据中心已经在寻找减少和循环利用水资源的方法。
Citing research from a water technology company called Xylem, The Information reported that “the water toll of AI is far greater at semiconductor factories and the power plants electrifying chipmaking and computing than at the data centers themselves.” However, as hyperscale data centers from tech giants like Meta, Google, and Microsoft perhaps increasingly rely on power for cooling, the demand for water to cool down power plants will explode, experts suggest. 《信息报》援引水技术公司 Xylem 的研究报告称，“AI 的用水代价在半导体工厂和为芯片制造及计算供电的发电厂中，远高于数据中心本身。”然而，专家指出，随着 Meta、谷歌和微软等科技巨头的超大规模数据中心可能越来越依赖电力进行冷却，用于冷却发电厂的水资源需求将呈爆炸式增长。
And it doesn’t help that 40 percent of data centers and 29 percent of global chip fabs are built in “water-stressed” areas, Xylem reported. Over the next 25 years, “AI-associated water use will more than double,” Xylem forecasted. Xylem 报告称，40% 的数据中心和 29% 的全球芯片工厂建在“缺水”地区，这让情况雪上加霜。Xylem 预测，在未来 25 年内，“与 AI 相关的用水量将增加一倍以上。”
One solution to make up some of the difference could be to recover about 30 percent of the world’s water that is lost to leaks and theft, The Information reported. That’s why some AI firms, like Microsoft, are paying to install “high-tech water leak detection systems” built by FIDO Tech. By feeding sensor data into AI, advanced smart meters can detect and “isolate” leaks, speeding up repairs and preventing excess water loss. 《信息报》报道称，弥补这一差距的一个解决方案可能是回收全球约 30% 因泄漏和盗窃而损失的水资源。这就是为什么像微软这样的一些 AI 公司正在出资安装由 FIDO Tech 构建的“高科技漏水检测系统”。通过将传感器数据输入 AI，先进的智能水表可以检测并“隔离”泄漏点，从而加快维修速度并防止过多的水资源流失。
Such smart meters can also help identify where fixes are most needed, as many areas scrambling to fix their water systems are “cash-starved” and cannot cover all the needed repairs, The Information reported. In drought-stricken Georgia, QTS claimed it’s also exploring alternative water solutions, such as capturing stormwater or roof runoff. 《信息报》报道，此类智能水表还可以帮助确定最需要维修的地方，因为许多急于修复供水系统的地区“资金匮乏”，无法承担所有必要的维修费用。在遭受旱灾的佐治亚州，QTS 声称它也在探索替代性供水方案，例如收集雨水或屋顶径流。
The Environmental Protection Agency announced in March a system to strengthen and innovate water systems across the US, with early efforts focusing particularly on rural areas where budgets might be most stretched. However, the water sector isn’t completely sure yet how using AI might impact the nation’s systems and is not rushing to implement tech com 美国环保署（EPA）在三月份宣布了一项旨在加强和创新全美供水系统的计划，早期工作特别关注预算可能最紧张的农村地区。然而，水务部门尚不完全确定使用 AI 会对国家系统产生何种影响，因此并未急于全面实施相关技术。