Data centers, drawing concerns over water and power, may have another surprise impact: Forever chemicals

As AI data centers face intense public pushback over issues including their electricity and water use, another potential environmental impact is percolating: the proliferation of forever chemicals.

Data centers can use these chemicals in at least two ways: in their cooling processes and through their more general use of semiconductors.

Supporters say that their use in cooling can reduce data centers’ significant water use, helping alleviate a major problem associated with the rapid build-out of AI infrastructure.

But critics warn that using even more forever chemicals threatens to exacerbate a massive environmental threat.

Forever chemicals are the nickname of a family of chemicals also known as PFAS that can linger in the environment for hundreds or even thousands of years because of their strong carbon-fluorine bonds, which make them difficult to break down. They have become widespread in both nature and humans because of pollution.

Exposure to certain PFAS has been linked to health issues including cancer, fertility issues, kidney and liver issues and immune system problems. 

They are also used in a wide variety of industries because of their nonstick, waterproof, fire-retardant and anticorrosive properties. 

PFAS in data center cooling

Both the chemical industry and outside experts say that these chemicals can be used in data centers’ cooling systems.

“A lot of these cooling systems, though, are what we call ‘closed loop,’ meaning that it’s not like you have fluorinated chemicals flowing in and out of the data center. It means you have a closed system,” said Kyle Doudrick, an environmental engineering professor at the University of Notre Dame. 

“Now the worry is that no closed system is perfect and that these chemicals leak out over time, which is probably true. … Nothing is 100 percent sealed,” Doudrick added. 

The American Chemistry Council, a trade group representing chemical companies, said in a statement to The Hill that “as AI workloads increase the heat generated by servers and semiconductors, some data centers are exploring liquid-based cooling systems,” including those that use PFAS.

“These technologies can help improve cooling efficiency and, in some cases, significantly reduce water use associated with traditional cooling approaches,” the group’s statement said. 

The Hill reached out to Amazon, Oracle, Meta, Google, Microsoft and Apple to ask whether their data centers use PFAS in cooling. Oracle, Meta and Microsoft did not respond to The Hill’s questions.

Amazon said that it doesn’t currently use liquid immersion cooling, adding that this is the main cooling technology driving PFAS concerns. A spokesperson did not respond to a follow-up question about whether the company uses other........

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