Can Data Centers Really Be Cooled Using Recycled Water?

In a satirical marketing campaign, a beverage brand teamed up with a former sports star to promote an amusing idea: using «human urine» to cool AI data centers, which consume enormous amounts of water to keep their servers from overheating. And while the idea seemed like nothing more than an advertising joke, it unintentionally touched on a serious technical truth: data centers are indeed cooled using alternative water sources, some of which are derived from wastewater.

Why Do Data Centers Need All This Water?

The servers that run AI models generate massive heat, and cooling them requires large amounts of water. One of the most well-known cooling methods is what's called «evaporative cooling», where hot air passes through water to extract heat via the evaporation process. This escalating consumption places real pressure on local drinking water sources, prompting companies to search for alternatives.

Recycled Water: The Realistic Alternative

Water sector experts explain that using «raw urine» to cool data centers is an entirely impractical idea; it contains salts, urea, bacteria, and organic matter that leave mineral deposits requiring constant cleaning. The real alternative is recycled water, produced by treating wastewater and sewage until it becomes safe for industrial use.

Treatment plants employ multiple technologies such as:

• Membrane Bioreactors.
• Reverse Osmosis.
• Ultraviolet disinfection.

In some cases, this water can be purified to the point of being drinkable—a method astronauts already use to recycle their water aboard spacecraft.

A Practice Established for Decades

Water reuse specialist Dr. Greta Zornes notes that various industries have used recycled water for cooling for decades, but the recent boom in data center construction has made this field almost her daily focus. When data centers rely on recycled water, they ease the burden on local drinking water supplies.

The Major Obstacle: Infrastructure

The problem is that transitioning to recycled water requires infrastructure capable of processing millions of gallons daily. Therefore, a data center must be located near a treatment plant large enough. Here a real crisis emerges: many data centers are built in rural areas where small treatment plants are insufficient to supply these quantities.

The example of Loudoun County in Virginia illustrates the scale of the challenge; it houses more than 250 data centers with plans to build dozens more. As of 2025, these centers consumed about 200 million gallons of recycled water daily, but this represents only 43% of their total consumption, while the remaining 57% comes from drinking water sources.

Could AI Lead to a Solution?

Some experts believe the AI industry itself could become a driver for developing water infrastructure. Some major companies have pledged to inject massive investments into wastewater treatment projects near their data centers, making these centers a kind of «pillar» supporting municipalities in facing their water challenges.

On the policy front, specialists call for legislation granting tax breaks of up to 30% to encourage industries to expand water recycling infrastructure, which would significantly accelerate this transition.

Conclusion

Despite the satirical nature of the advertising campaign, it shed light on a genuine environmental issue. No one is going to pour urine directly into cooling towers, but treating and recycling wastewater has today become a practical and promising tool for reducing AI's water footprint. The greatest challenge remains the time and investment needed to build infrastructure capable of keeping pace with this rapid growth.

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