Two bills that require data center developers to provide estimates of how much water they expect to use have been signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor previously said he’s “reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements” that the legislation demands. Apparently he’s reluctant no more. He should have been.
The premise behind the bills calls attention to a fundamental question that should have been answered before any new rules were made: Just how much water do data centers use?
It isn’t as much as we’ve been led to believe.