Misraj: Technology at the Heart of Concern, and the Environment as Responsibility, Necessity, and Purpose

Every revolution has its challenges. The tremendous surge of artificial intelligence developments, as much as it serves humanity, largely threatens its most precious resources  compelling us to ask: can artificial intelligence grow without depleting nature? This question brings to mind the words of the English philosopher Francis Bacon: "Science succeeds by torturing nature." Did this philosopher ever imagine that one day machines would compete with us for our water?

The issue of "algorithmic thirst" emerges today as one of the greatest ethical and environmental challenges facing humanity. The cooling of massive servers requires enormous quantities of fresh water, making environmental responsibility a priority, a necessity, and a purpose.

 

First: The Water Tax of Intelligence

Behind every quick answer artificial intelligence provides us lies a complex cooling cycle that consumes fresh water to prevent processors (GPUs) from overheating. According to recent studies, the scale of consumption far exceeds expectations:

GPT-3 and Cooling: A study conducted by the University of California, Riverside revealed that training the GPT-3 model consumed approximately 700,000 liters of fresh water.

A Single Conversation: The same study estimates that each simple conversation (consisting of 20 to 50 questions) consumes the equivalent of half a liter of water.

Annual Consumption by Tech Companies: In their 2024 sustainability reports, Google acknowledged a 17% increase in water consumption, reaching 6.1 billion gallons, while Microsoft recorded a 34% increase in water usage coinciding with its expansion into OpenAI technologies.

 

Second: The Environment as Necessity

When we say the environment is a "necessity," we are speaking of a direct collision between technology and daily life. Data centers are typically built in regions already suffering from "water stress."

Competition over Resources: In areas such as Arizona and Virginia, data centers compete directly with agriculture and residents' drinking water supplies.

Thermal Pollution: Water used in cooling is frequently returned to nature at elevated temperatures, disrupting the ecological balance of rivers and aquatic life.

 

Third: Green Technology as a Purpose

For technology to be a lamp that illuminates the path rather than scorches the earth  environmental responsibility must be transformed from mere slogans into innovative technical solutions. This is precisely what major companies have recently begun to embrace, driven by a concern for their public image and their social responsibility. They have already started exploring and implementing promising technical approaches:

Air Cooling and Cold Environments: Relocating data centers to the Arctic or deep ocean environments to harness natural cold.

Immersion Cooling: Using electrically non-conductive chemical fluids instead of water  a technology that is 90% more efficient in heat reduction.

Reclaimed Water: A corporate commitment to using treated wastewater or seawater in place of potable fresh water.

 

Documented Sources

• University of California, Riverside Study (2023): "Making AI Less Thirsty"

• Google Environmental Report (2024)

• Microsoft Environmental Sustainability Report (2024)

• Researcher Alex de Vries Study (2024): Published in Cell Reports Physical Science, on water projections for artificial intelligence through 2027

 

The vision of Misraj affirms that technology cannot be severed from its natural origins. If technology is the "heart," then the environment is the "body" that carries that heart. The continued development of artificial intelligence must proceed hand in hand with the restoration of the planet's balance  so that technology becomes a servant of nature, not a master that exhausts it.