California data centers raise concerns over water use and limited transparency, study says

A growing number of data centers across California is raising concerns as the state’s role in powering large-scale computing continues to expand.

A new study, “The Intersection of Data Center Development, Water Availability, and Environmental Justice in California,” found that transparency regarding water use and environmental impacts is severely limited.

Shaolei Ren, a professor at UC Riverside in the electrical and computer engineering department, said he believes the U.S. can’t meet data center demands at the moment.