AI systems such as the large language models LLMs that power OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini require warehouses full of specialist computers. The equipment is power hungry, consuming large amounts of energy, but they also use tonnes of water in their cooling systems to stop the servers overheating. Freedom of Information data shows the volume of tap water used by Scotland's data centres has quadrupled since 2021. There are currently 16 data centres in Scotland and this...
