Tech giants Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet are facing increasing pressure from investors regarding their water and energy consumption at their US data centers. These concerns come amid heightened scrutiny of the environmental impact of digital technology.
Several data center projects, representing investments of several billion dollars, have recently been abandoned by these companies, primarily due to tensions related to the use of natural resources and local opposition. Access to water has now emerged as a major challenge for the development of this infrastructure.
Investors, including Trillium Asset Management, are demanding greater transparency regarding companies' climate strategies, particularly those of Alphabet. They want assurances about the sustainable management of resources and the measures implemented to limit the environmental footprint of data centers.
These infrastructures, essential for the operation of digital services and artificial intelligence, are heavy consumers of electricity and water, particularly for server cooling. This energy intensity is raising growing concerns about their long-term sustainability.
Investors now view water-related risks as an emerging threat to the technology sector. This pressure could force large companies to adapt their development models and strengthen their environmental commitments in the context of a global energy transition.
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