Editorial: Address environmental concerns over data centres
India's rapidly expanding data centres to support artificial intelligence and cloud computing are consuming massive amounts of water and electricity, raising environmental concerns. The country's data centre ecosystem could consume nearly 37.5 billion litres of water annually, equivalent to the yearly needs of around 8 lakh people.
India's digital expansion is clashing with environmental protection needs due to the massive water and electricity consumption of data centres supporting artificial intelligence and cloud computing. A 100-megawatt data centre requires water equivalent to 6,500 households daily. India's data centre capacity has grown from 375 megawatts in 2020 to over 1,500 megawatts in 2025. To mitigate the issue, developers can deploy advanced cooling systems, adopt rainwater harvesting, and reuse treated wastewater. The central government must address environmental concerns while pushing data centre growth through initiatives like 'IndiaAI Mission' and subsidies. Integrating data centres into energy, water, and land-use planning can help achieve sustainable digital growth.
This content was automatically generated and/or translated by AI. It may contain inaccuracies. Please refer to the original sources for verification.