Google強化水治理

隨著人工智慧與雲端服務需求快速攀升，資料中心的用水議題正成為科技產業永續發展的重要挑戰。Google近日宣布更新全球水資源管理策略，承諾擴大水資源補注（water replenishment）行動、推動替代水源應用，並協助地方公共事業改善供水基礎設施，以降低資料中心營運對高水壓力地區的影響。

As artificial intelligence and cloud computing continue to drive demand for digital infrastructure, water consumption by data centers has emerged as a critical sustainability challenge. Google has announced an expanded global water stewardship strategy aimed at replenishing local water supplies, supporting utility modernization, and reducing operational impacts in water-stressed regions.

根據美國加州大學柏克萊分校實驗室（Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory）2024年發布的研究，美國資料中心於2023年直接消耗約660億公升水資源，而大型超大規模（hyperscale）資料中心至2028年間，年度直接用水量預計將介於600億至1,240億公升之間。此外，資料中心因用電需求所衍生的間接耗水量，2023年更高達近8,000億公升，顯示數位經濟快速擴張正對全球水資源帶來新的壓力。

According to a 2024 report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S. data centers directly consumed 66 billion liters of water in 2023. Hyperscale facilities are projected to use between 60 billion and 124 billion liters annually through direct operations by 2028. The report also found that electricity generation supporting data center operations indirectly consumed nearly 800 billion liters of water in 2023.

Google全球基礎設施副總裁Bikash Koley與基礎設施策略暨永續負責人Ben Townsend指出，資料中心已成為數位世界的重要基礎設施，「隨著資料中心版圖持續擴大，如何建設與營運，與提供什麼服務同樣重要。」

Google Vice President of Global Infrastructure Bikash Koley and Head of Infrastructure Strategy and Sustainability Ben Townsend emphasized that responsible infrastructure development must accompany technological growth.

"Data centers are the nerve centers of the digital world," they wrote in a June 3 company blog. "As we grow our data center footprint to support these services, we recognize that how we build is just as important as what we build."

Google表示，公司將持續推動四大水資源策略，包括設定流域水資源補注目標、協助地方供水系統現代化、公開年度用水資訊，以及優先採用再生水與替代水源進行冷卻作業。

在技術應用方面，Google指出，雖然水冷系統相較於空冷約可降低10%的能源消耗，但在高水風險地區，公司將優先採用空氣冷卻或再生水冷卻方案，以兼顧能源效率與水資源保護。

The company said its strategy focuses on setting watershed replenishment targets, helping local utilities upgrade aging infrastructure, publicly reporting annual water consumption, and prioritizing alternative water sources for cooling operations.

Although water-based cooling systems typically consume about 10% less energy than air cooling systems, Google said it will increasingly rely on air cooling or recycled water technologies in regions facing elevated water stress.

目前Google已在全球97個流域推動165項水資源管理計畫，並新增投入1,700萬美元，支持美國喬治亞州、愛荷華州、密西根州、明尼蘇達州、密蘇里州、內布拉斯加州及德州等地的水治理專案。Google表示，2025年已補注超過70億加侖水資源，預計到2030年，所有水資源專案全面運作後，年度補注量將超過190億加侖。

Google currently supports 165 water stewardship initiatives across 97 watersheds worldwide. The company recently committed an additional $17 million toward projects in Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas. It reported replenishing more than 7 billion gallons of water in 2025 and expects that figure to exceed 19 billion gallons annually by 2030 as all projects become operational.

值得注意的是，Google日前也與Amazon、Meta及Microsoft共同成立「資料中心創新倡議」（Data Center Innovation Initiative），透過導入新創技術與示範場域，加速推動更具能源效率與資源循環能力的資料中心解決方案。

The announcement follows Google's participation in the newly established Data Center Innovation Initiative alongside Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft. The initiative seeks to accelerate the deployment of sustainable technologies capable of improving the environmental performance of future data centers.

然而，企業在水治理上的進展仍面臨挑戰。非營利組織Ceres近期報告指出，企業雖逐步建立水資源目標，但整體推動速度仍不足，且各產業間落差明顯。世界資源研究所（WRI）則預估，到2050年，全球將有近三分之一的國內生產毛額暴露於高度缺水風險之下。

Despite growing corporate attention to water stewardship, challenges remain. Nonprofit organization Ceres recently concluded that progress toward corporate water goals has been uneven and insufficiently rapid. Meanwhile, the World Resources Institute estimates that nearly one-third of global GDP could be exposed to high water stress by 2050.

隨著生成式AI與數位服務持續擴張，資料中心對能源與水資源的需求勢必同步增加。對科技企業而言，如何在數位成長與自然資源承載能力之間取得平衡，將成為下一階段永續競爭力的重要指標。

As AI adoption and digital services continue to expand, technology companies are increasingly being challenged to demonstrate that innovation can advance without compromising essential natural resources. Google's latest commitments suggest that water stewardship is becoming a strategic priority alongside energy efficiency in the future of data center development.