Starmer’s AI drive ‘will lead to hosepipe bans’
Government adviser warns over strain on Britain’s water supplies of data centre boom
Sir Keir Starmer’s artificial intelligence (AI) plans risk leading to hosepipe bans and could drive up water bills, a government advisory body has warned.
A report from the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance (GDSA) said that placing major data centres in water-stressed areas could lead to “increased water bills [and] rationing”, adding it risked “potentially exacerbating social conflicts”.
Last week, the Prime Minister trumpeted a series of promised investments in AI data centres, including the construction of Britain’s most powerful AI supercomputer and a new “AI growth zone” in Northumberland.
The string of investments by US tech giants, which coincided with Donald Trump’s state visit, led to predictions of a “big bang” for the British AI industry.
However, the GDSA, a group set up by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, claimed that Britain’s water supplies were not adequately prepared for a boom in data centres, which can require large quantities of water to cool computer systems.
It warned that the tech projects were a “blind spot” in official water forecasting, and that utilities were not planning for a surge in data centre infrastructure.
“The siting of water-intensive infrastructure in already water-stressed areas, particularly those with existing socio-economic vulnerabilities, raises significant environmental justice concerns,” it said.
“This practice could disproportionately impact local communities, potentially leading to increased water bills, rationing or reduced environmental flows.”
It warned there was a conflict between the Government’s AI dreams and Britain’s ability to manage water supplies.
“The rapid expansion of AI presents a profound challenge to the UK’s water security and environmental sustainability,” it said.
“The evidence demonstrates that AI’s substantial water footprint, primarily driven by data centre cooling and energy generation, is escalating at an alarming rate and is largely unaccounted for in current national water resource planning.
“This critical oversight, coupled with existing and projected water deficits in the UK, creates a significant risk of exacerbating water stress, leading to potential social and environmental conflicts.”
Source of conflict
The country is already facing pressure on its future water supply. England will require an extra five billion litres of water a day by 2050, according to the Environment Agency.
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Data centres are crucial to AI and use large amounts of energy. Last week, Microsoft pledged to invest £22bn in Britain, the majority of which will go towards new infrastructure.
Thames Water warned that its water supplies risked being stressed by more than 100 new data centres planned in the regions it covers.
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Featured image: The Telegraph
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