How AI data centres risk straining Switzerland’s water resources

Artificial intelligence (AI) and geopolitical tensions are accelerating the construction of data centres in Switzerland, increasing demand for infrastructure that could strain the country’s water supply. Switzerland is often described as the “water tower of Europe”: a country with abundant lakes and glaciers, where some of the continent’s major rivers originate. But this abundance may be put to the test by the rapid expansion of data centres – the IT infrastructure that keeps the digital world running. Today, Switzerland hosts around 120 data centres, with about 20 more under construction, giving it one of the world’s highest concentrations of data centres per capita. The growing adoption of artificial intelligence is accelerating this expansion. High-performance servers used for AI consume more energy and generate more heat, increasing the need for intensive cooling systems – many of which rely on water. “More and more companies – and people in general – are using AI. So cooling ...