Gov Unveils AI Action Plan… But At What Cost To Water?

The government has published its new AI Opportunities Action Plan that aims to drive artificial intelligence (AI) adoption around the country, harnessing the power of this technology and creating 13,250 new jobs in the process.

Of course, AI is already in use in the UK, increasingly a feature in hospitals, for example, to help deliver improved healthcare provision, driving faster diagnoses and supporting the government’s intention to build a health service fit for the future.

But the technology can go further than this, boosting overall productivity by up to 1.5 percentage points each year, with gains of up to an average of £47 billion annually over ten years, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Keir Starmer said: “AI will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people.

“But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.

“Our plan will make Britain the world leader. It will give the industry the foundation it needs and will turbocharge the Plan for Change. That means more jobs and investment in the UK, more money in people’s pockets, and transformed public services.”

However, while this may be welcome news for some sectors – and, indeed, we can’t ignore AI technology as it’s here to stay – it does raise some significant concerns for the water crisis, with AI and data centre usage putting increasing amounts of pressure on already dwindling supplies.

AI & the water crisis… What’s the problem?

As AI adoption continues to grow in the UK and beyond, data centre water usage and consumption will only increase in line with this. Recent research from non-profit China Water Risk, for example, found that AI-powered services will require 20 times the current amount of water to remain operational.

In China, there are currently 4.3 million data centre racks that consume around 1.3 billion m3 of water… but this could climb to over three billion m3 by 2030, thanks to AI.

Under Labour’s AI action plan, the first AI growth zone will be set up near the UK’s first new reservoir to be constructed in 30 years in Culham in Oxfordshire, which is just seven miles away from the Thames Water-planned reservoir in Abingdon, the Guardian reports.

This reservoir is intended to provide potable water for people in the south-east of England, which is already facing severe water stress issues and which is the one region in the country most at risk of running out of water, according to the Environment Agency.

Even without a big increase in data centres for AI, England is predicted to see a shortfall of almost five billion litres of water per day between supply and demand come 2050. The south-east specifically could see a possible deficit of over 2.5 billion litres per day.

These data centres use significant amounts of water for cooling systems in order to prevent computer systems from overheating and shutting down. Studies show that for Microsoft’s global data centres, AI uses between 1.8 and 12 litres of water for every kilowatt hour of energy used.

Furthermore, it’s estimated that, come 2027, AI could constitute up to 6.6 billion cubic metres of water consumption – which is the equivalent of almost two-thirds of England’s annual usage.

However, it may not all be doom and gloom if AI is considered alongside sustainable water management and other eco-friendly practices.

Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, teaching fellow at the University of Cambridge, for example, said: “The increased energy use of AI should not be considered in isolation, but rather coupled with the potential energy reduction that intelligent control of our energy systems could enable.

“There are incredible opportunities to make more of what we already have in our energy system, and integrated AI control has the potential to unlock them.”

A government representative made further comments, saying that it is recognised that these facilities pose sustainability challenges but there are now many centres that are already working to tackle these, using advanced cooling systems to reduce water consumption significantly.

How can businesses help?

If, as a business, you’re keen to reduce your own water footprint and start operating more sustainably, you could consider switching water supplier.

This process involves a water audit of your site, revealing areas ripe for improvement, as well as which water-saving solutions would be most appropriate. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the SwitchWaterSupplier.com team today.