Key facts
- Recycled wastewater, which includes treated human urine, is a viable method for cooling data centers.
- Directly using urine for cooling is impractical due to potential mineral deposits and bacterial contamination.
- Water treatment technologies can purify wastewater to a level suitable for industrial cooling.
- Data centers are increasingly using recycled water to reduce reliance on potable water sources.
- Infrastructure development and proximity to treatment facilities are crucial for widespread recycled water adoption.
- Companies like Meta are investing in wastewater infrastructure to support data center cooling needs.
A humorous marketing campaign by Liquid Death, featuring former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce, suggested using human urine to cool AI data centers, highlighting the significant water consumption of these facilities. While the direct use of urine is impractical due to its composition, experts confirm that recycled wastewater, which includes treated urine, is a real and increasingly utilized method for data center cooling.
According to Michael Obradovitch, vice president of Data Center Global Accounts at Ecolab, alternative water sources are already being used to cool data centers, thereby reducing the demand for potable water. Bruno Pigott, executive director of the WateReuse Association, explained that while raw urine is unsuitable for cooling towers due to salts, urea, bacteria, and potential mineral deposits, it can be cleaned and purified through advanced treatment processes.
Dr. Greta Zornes, practice leader for water reuse at CDM Smith, noted a significant boom in the use of recycled water for data center cooling, a practice that has been in place for decades across various industries. However, the effective implementation of recycled water depends on the availability of adequate infrastructure and proximity to sizable wastewater treatment facilities. This can be a challenge for data centers located in rural areas.
In Loudoun County, Virginia, a major data center hub, data centers collectively used approximately 200 million gallons of recycled water daily as of 2025. Despite this, 57% of their daily water usage, amounting to 260 million gallons, still comes from potable water supplies. Building the necessary infrastructure to scale water treatment takes considerable time.
To address these challenges, companies like Meta are investing in wastewater infrastructure projects near their data centers. Obradovitch suggests that data centers can serve as anchors for developing such infrastructure, with some companies committing capital to municipalities. On the policy front, Pigott advocates for a 30% tax credit to accelerate the adoption of recycled water infrastructure by industries.
The viral campaign, despite its comedic nature, has brought attention to the environmental concerns surrounding data centers. A Gallup poll indicates that a majority of Americans oppose data centers in their communities, underscoring the need for greater public awareness and education on water conservation efforts within the tech industry.