Can Evaporative Cooling in Data Centers Still Make Sense?
Data Center Knowledge, Friday, October 23rd, 2026
Evaporative cooling uses a lot of water, but lower upfront cost and better efficiency keep it in use, especially in dry climates.
Water use now rivals power as a community flashpoint for new data centers.
One estimate cited in the article puts a 1MW facility using evaporative cooling at 20,000 to 50,000 gallons of water a day, or 20 million to 50 million gallons for a 1GW site.
Operators still choose evaporative systems because they reject heat more efficiently than dry cooling and cost less to build, with one HVAC executive estimating that open-loop systems cost 60% to 70% less upfront than comparable closed-loop designs.
The article weighs these tradeoffs against water availability, climate and community acceptance.