[palmotea]

> Data centers use very little water, right down to none if they want. And state-of-the-art hyperscale data centers really are operated by AIs.

There are many, many reasons to oppose datacenters. Not the least is they're there to drive inequality to ever-greater heights and they're 21st century version of the toxic waste dump (put 'em where people are weak and marginalized).

But water use is a very simple argument, and sometimes you have to pound on those to get through to the general public that's not immediately affected.

[bpodgursky]

Sorry but no, you don't get to lie just because your arguments don't resonate with the public. That makes you a bad person.

[palmotea]

> Sorry but no, you don't get to lie just because your arguments don't resonate with the public. That makes you a bad person.

You misunderstand: data centers usually do use a lot of water, and I think the lie is "data centers use very little water." I believe it's possible for them to use little, but that's a choice that costs money. What I mean was instead of arguing the nuances of cooling or a particular project (which probably keeps all the details secret anyway), it makes sense to simplify and emphasize the water use angle.