Comment by loeg
8 hours ago
> Why don’t data centers use gray water more often?
DCs will just use the cheapest source that meets their needs. If they have to treat greywater and that costs more than municipal potable water, they'll use the potable water. (In part this is utilities selling their potable water too cheaply.)
> Wouldn’t that be better for basically everyone?
No; if it was cheaper for DCs, they'd already be doing it. But it isn't an insurmountable cost -- DCs still pencil with slightly more expensive cooling.
Why do they even need to treat the water? Surely all they care about is that it’s a cold liquid?
They need it to not clog up their cooling loop, corrode fixtures if the pH is off neutral, etc. It doesn't need to be potable.