Microsoft data centers pump water from the Netherlands
Microsoft data centers pump water from the NetherlandsFrance Evening - 23 August 2022
While all of Europe is facing an unprecedented drought, the Netherlands discover that the Microsoft firm's data storage centers are real unsuspected pumps.
In 2021, they consumed four to seven times more water than had been recorded in the commitments, i.e. 84 million liters of drinking water.
Data storage centers, more commonly known as "data centers", are places where all the equipment and components of an information system are grouped together. Occupied by Microsoft, the Middenmeer site had undertaken to consume only between 12 and 20 million liters of drinking water per year, in agreement with the municipality of Hollands-Kroon.
However, although the information was classified, the local media Noordhollands Dagblab had access to the real figures, and revealed that 84 million liters of water were spent for the year 2021. In detail, the investigation says Microsoft consumed 75 million liters of water to cool its data centers, and nine million liters for other uses.
