Meta data centers “ate” 14.98 TWh of electricity and “drank” 3.881 million cubic meters. m of clean water in 2023, increasing both indicators

The use of electricity by Meta✴ data centers reached in 2023 (14,975 TWh), consumption growth year-on-year was 34%. According to Datacenter Dynamics, of this, leased data centers accounted for 2.19 TWh, which is 97% more than a year earlier.

Of the company’s 16 facilities (excluding leased ones), the Prineville Oregon campus was the largest energy user, accounting for 1.38 TWh alone. In Altoona, Iowa, this figure was 1.24 TWh, in Sarpy, Nebraska – 1.15 TWh.

The intensity of electricity use per active monthly user was 0.0041 MWh, up 32% year-on-year. Energy intensity per $1 million of revenue amounted to 131.42 MWh, an increase of 33%. The company announced this in its latest report on sustainable development.

Image source: Meta✴

According to the company, the electricity supply is 100% from environmentally friendly sources, at least through the purchase of PPA and REC certificates. The PUE indicator did not change and remained at 1.08.

The company’s fuel consumption fell: natural gas by 36% to 4.82 million therms (a unit of measurement of thermal energy, 1 therm ≡ 100 thousand BTU), diesel fuel No. 2 by 25.5% to 3882 m3, and fuel No. 4 by 3.42% to 2648 m3. Finally, gasoline use fell by 81.4% to 84.5 m3.

Image source: Meta✴

Meta✴ has also pioneered the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) at a site in Ireland, at 4.3 m3. The company announced it will test the diesel fuel replacement in 2024 to determine whether to switch generators around the world to it.

Image source: Meta✴

Water intake from the data center reached 3.881 million m3, an increase of 7%. In some locations, water use, on the contrary, has fallen. However, water intake from groundwater increased by 137% to 88 thousand m3, water intake in areas with high or extremely high water deficit increased by 20% to 1.360 million m3.

Indirect water use (water spent on goods and services that the company consumes) increased by 35%, reaching 55,475 million m3 – this is the result of increased energy consumption. There is good news – 5.889 million m3 of water were restored, which is 150% more year on year.

Image source: Meta✴

WUE fell to 0.18 from 0.20, but monthly water withdrawal per active user increased by 7% to 0.00141 liters. Water intake per $1 million in revenue increased by 7% to 45 liters. The report mentions that the latest AI data centers under construction use dry cooling technology, minimizing water consumption.

Overall, the company is investing aggressively in data center construction, with capital expenditures amounting to $8.5 billion in the second quarter alone. Costs are expected to rise further over the next year as the company builds out its generative AI infrastructure.