拆解数据中心用水路径，揭示冷却是本地问题，电力是区域问题
The Hidden Water Geography of U.S. Hyperscale Data Centers in the AI Era
- 区分冷却用水与发电用水两大路径，精准定位水耗来源
- 电力相关用水占总量75%，达300亿升/年，远超现场冷却
- 西部和中部干旱区为冷却热点，东部电网区为电力用水集中地
数据中心用水常被当作单一足迹报告，但实际通过两种物理路径消耗水资源：现场冷却与电力生产过程。本文通过关联472个美国超大规模数据中心的位置、电力区域、流域和缺水数据，绘制了双重路径的用水图谱。在基准假设下，运营用水总量约为每年300亿立方米（范围205–451亿立方米），其中电力相关用水占总量的四分之三。两条路径形成不同的热点地理分布：直接冷却用水集中在缺水严重的西部和中南部流域；而电力相关用水则集中于少数以化石燃料为主的东部电网区域，仅24个调度机构中的3个就贡献了59%的电力用水。分离路径有助于明确不同决策的影响范围：冷却设计与水源选择关乎本地，电力规划与采购则需区域性协同。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Water use by data centers is routinely reported as a single footprint, but water is consumed through two physically distinct pathways: at the site for cooling and in the power system that generates electricity. We mapped both pathways for 472 U.S. hyperscale facilities by linking facility locations to electricity regions, hydrologic basins, and water-stress data. Under baseline assumptions, operational water consumption totals approximately 300 GL yr^-1 (range 205-451 across scenarios), with electricity-related water contributing three-quarters of the total. The two pathways produce different hotspot geographies: direct cooling burdens concentrate in stressed western and south-central basins, whereas electricity-related burdens concentrate in a few eastern grid regions with fossil-heavy supply. Just 3 of 24 hosting balancing authorities account for 59% of electricity-related water. Separating pathways identifies which decisions matter where: cooling design and water sourcing locally, electricity planning and procurement regionally
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