Data Centers and Water Policy: A Circular Economy Perspective

The proliferation of AI uses and applications is physically manifested in acceleration of data center construction. This seminar examines the intersection of data center operation and water policy through the perspective of the circular economy. In their water-intensity, data centers present environmental challenges when they are constructed in areas with existing water stress. Conventional approaches to water use in data centers, as in industrial production more generally, remain largely linear, with technologies and design improvements focusing on efficiency gains in extraction, consumption, and discharge. In such cases, there is often limited attention to water reuse, recovery, or system-wide efficiency.

The adoption of circular water principles in data center operations is imperative as the demand for AI continues to grow. In this seminar, operational strategies, such as closed-loop cooling systems, wastewater reuse, and the co-location of data centers with municipal or industrial water infrastructure, will be explained. By discussing policy gaps and constraints, including fragmented governance, insufficient incentives, limited cross-sector coordination, and weak reporting transparency, this seminar will illustrate these arguments through case examples from the United States and Japan.

 

Hiroshima University, Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability. Seminar title: Data centers and utilities policy: a circular economy perspective. (July 2026) (https://nerps.org/2026/06/16/22nd-special-lecture/)