Colo giant Digital Realty has announced a collaboration with Ecolab, a water conservation firm, to deploy an AI-driven water conservation solution in 35 US data centers.
Nalco Water, Ecolab’s water and process management business, will implement the solution to enhance Digital Realty’s water use efficiency and minimize environmental impact.
The solution will use an AI model to establish actionable water consumption benchmarks by identifying real-time operational inefficiencies in cooling systems and recommending actions for improvements.
Once implemented, the solution aims to cut water use by up to 15 percent, extend equipment lifespan, and reduce the need to withdraw up to 126 million gallons of potable water from local watersheds annually.
“Collaborating with Ecolab on this AI-driven water conservation initiative aligns with our goals of improving water use efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. We’re excited about the potential of this solution to set a new standard in water conservation for data centers," said Aaron Binkley, vice president of sustainability at Digital Realty.
Digital Realty and Ecolab have collaborated for over a decade, with Digital Realty being the first company to pilot Ecolab’s AI solution. The partners have worked together on 15 water conservation projects. In 2023, Ecolab’s solutions helped Digital Realty reduce the amount of water withdrawn from local watersheds by five percent and avoid 986 tons of CO2 emissions.
The partnership is part of Digital Realty's broader water conservation strategy. In its recent 2023 ESG report, Digital Realty reported a 14 percent reduction in water use intensity compared to the previous year.
Digital Realty has made several notable announcements in recent months. Earlier this month, it added a further $450 million to its credit facility, upsizing its existing $3.75 billion senior unsecured multi-currency global revolving credit facility to $4.2 billion.
