{"id":16382,"date":"2026-09-18T10:25:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T10:25:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/?p=16382"},"modified":"2026-09-18T10:25:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T10:25:59","slug":"data-centers-are-swapping-water-for-forever-chemicals-to-keep-ai-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/?p=16382","title":{"rendered":"Data centers are swapping water for forever chemicals to keep AI cool"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The midterms are six weeks away and Republicans are walking a fine line between meeting constituents in opposition to data center growth and agreeing with the president who continues to advocate for them. Now there seems to be another wrinkle to the ongoing data center backlash: the release of \u201cforever chemicals\u201d into the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A new report from chemical watchdog ChemSec found that most of the world\u2019s biggest PFAS producers are expanding their capacity thanks to AI infrastructure. PFAS, also known as \u201cforever chemicals,\u201d are being used to handle the enormous amounts of heat generated from data center equipment. The report found that major chemical producers\u2014including Japanese conglomerate Daikin, French materials manufacturing company Arkema and American chemical company Chemours\u2014are increasing PFAS production thanks to growing demand from semiconductor and data center industries. This stems from three main demand sources: data center cooling, semiconductor manufacturing and lithium-ion battery materials.<\/p>\n

It seems to be a catch-22 from a noted criticism of data centers: water usage. Newer cooling systems in these facilities are using fluorinated chemicals that include PFAS instead of water. The world\u2019s biggest makers of \u201cforever chemicals\u201d pulled in roughly $4 billion in profit in 2022, against an estimated $17.5 trillion a year in societal costs\u2014healthcare, cleanup, contaminated water\u2014according to an earlier 2023 analysis by ChemSec.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the AI boom spurring data center development, the need to mitigate the effects of heat stemming from equipment may also drive up that demand for PFAS. This, while data center development continues growing: a 2026 study from the commercial real estate trade association BOMA found data center facilities accounted for nearly 46% of private construction last year, compared to less than 5% a decade ago. The actual dollar value of data construction spending exploded as well: from $1.8 billion in 2014 to $41.1 billion last year, per Statista.<\/p>\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.datawrapper.de\/_\/is2pv\n<\/p>\n

The materials needed in the AI race<\/p>\n

\u201cForever chemicals\u201d are highly resistant to heat. That makes the chemical-bonded substances particularly useful in many common consumer products such as food packaging, stain-resistant sprays and firefighting foam. Due to the strong chemical bond of PFAS, it doesn\u2019t degrade easily\u2014making it dangerous for both humans and nature when exposed. That makeup also makes PFAS desirable in semiconductor manufacturing, industrial equipment and cooling systems, but that durability is also what makes their environmental, and health, footprint hard to cover.<\/p>\n

In fact, that chemical durability is showing up in our lives. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans.<\/p>\n

According to the ChemSec report, Chemours produces or uses more PFAS substances than any other on ChemSec\u2019s list, per ChemSec\u2019s SIN Producers database. The study also found the company is developing products intended for data center cooling as it expands its production of PFAS refrigerants. ChemSec estimates between half and two-thirds of Chemours\u2019 $5.8 billion revenue comes from PFAS production. Daikin also plans to triple its PFAS capacity in response to semiconductor demand, according to the report, just as Arkema begins expanding production in North America and in Asia.<\/p>\n

Data center cooling has already become a battleground. In July, 17 environmental organizations submitted a letter to the EPA to reject Chemours\u2019 application to fast-track a new PFAS chemical\u2014Opteon 2P50\u2014for use in data center cooling. The groups argued that Chemours had underestimated the compound\u2019s potential health and climate risks, and that the available toxicological evidence was insufficient.<\/p>\n

\u201cA hyperscale data center can contain hundreds of tanks, totaling tens of thousands of liters of dielectric fluid,\u201d the letter read. \u201cIf even a small fraction of the Opteon 2P50 used in a large data center leaks, it would result in a significant release of PFAS gases. And when cooling tanks need to be replaced, large amounts of Opteon 2P50 will be disposed or released, increasing the risk to the public and the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chemours has denied these concerns according to a report from The Guardian. The company said the system operates as a \u201cclosed loop\u201d and the amount of gas escaping during operation is low. The chemical corporation has also continued moving forward in its data center cooling process, launching new refrigerants in August.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI is reshaping the demands placed on cooling infrastructure, and customers need solutions that can keep pace without compromising efficiency, reliability, or long-term regulatory readiness,\u201d Joseph Martinko, President of Thermal & Specialized Solutions at Chemours, said in a press release. \u201cChemours is expanding the choices available to chiller OEMs and operators as they build and maintain the critical systems powering data centers, commercial buildings, and other mission critical environments, while further strengthening our position in attractive, high-growth cooling applications.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chemours did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune.<\/p>\n

French citizens have also filed a lawsuit against Arkema and Daikin on PFAS pollution allegations in January as well, citing concerns of \u201cchemical valley.\u201d The lawsuit included 192 citizens and four environmental organizations.<\/p>\n

Arkema stated it \u201cwill defend itself before the court against the allegations contained in the summons,\u201d and has separately pushed back on related contamination claims. Daikin said it has \u201caccelerated its investments\u201d since 2022 to better control its PFAS emissions.<\/p>\n

#Data #centers #swapping #water #chemicals #cool<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The midterms are six weeks away and Republicans are walking a fine line between meeting…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[245],"tags":[2162,5794,2634,569,877,1339,273,3921,21592,1392],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16382"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16382\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}