With the approved rezoning of Sioux Falls to allow for an Artificial Intelligence (AI) data center, locals share their concerns for the effects that this could have on our ecosystems. “AI wastes water” is the common argument when discussing the ethics of AI usage and the data centers built to support its infrastructure. While many use this fact to put forth their argument, few can explain what exactly happens to the water that is removed from a seemingly closed water cycle.
The argument that AI wastes water is not a claim that AI permanently destroys matter, as that would be impossible. In reality, AI uses freshwater from local ecosystems, which can cause great harm to the local vegetation and wildlife. The data centers produce high levels of heat from the servers, and efficient cooling is required to prevent the failure of these systems. The heat is transferred to the water, which is then dumped back into the ecosystem. These elevated water temperatures can drastically affect the plants and wildlife that make up the core of the ecosystem and can cause drastic downstream effects. For companies that want to reduce costs and keep making money, using local freshwater sources to cool the data centers is common. By using freshwater sources, such as lakes and rivers, the amount of clean water on our planet is slowly diminishing.
The proposed Sioux Falls data center would be located at a 160-acre tract of land near the intersection of Rice Street and Veterans Parkway. The Big Sioux River is the most likely source of water that the developers are eyeing. It is no secret that South Dakota and Iowa have struggled to mitigate massive amounts of livestock waste and chemicals that are poured into the river. The Big Sioux was named one of the top 10 rivers in the country for releasing chemicals into its watershed. Adding a large data center typically consumes one to five million gallons of water per day.
The impact that this could leave on our local ecosystems is tremendous. Local wildlife, such as fish, need the Sioux River to remain habitable, or they risk possible extinction. If our local rivers are suddenly used in large amounts for AI data centers, many animals face dire consequences.
