Data centres use same amount of water as large towns

Facilities run by tech giants like Facebook and Amazon require tens of millions of litres to cool their servers during warm summer months in Ireland

Facebook data centre in Clonee, Co Meath: the facility will cover 150,000 sq m when complete

Data centres owned by large multinationals, including Facebook and Amazon, are using the same amount of water as some of Ireland’s largest towns at a time of reduced supply.

An analysis of planning documents by the Business Post has found that the facilities require tens of millions of litres of water every day to cool down their servers during the warmer summer months. The revelation comes as a hosepipe ban has been introduced to cut ...