Google Vizag data centre to use air cooling: MP Sribharat
The proposed Google data centre in Visakhapatnam will use air-cooling technology and will not affect the city’s water supply, Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat said on Saturday.
“Google has, on record, confirmed that it will use air-cooling technology. But even if all the upcoming data centres use water-cooling technology, there is no question of any impact on the water supply to Visakhapatnam,” he said.
Speaking to select media persons at his residence, Sribharat dismissed criticism from sections of civil society over the environmental impact of data centres coming up in and around the city.
His comments came ahead of a national public conference on AI data centres to be held at Alluri Sitarama Raju Vignana Kendram on Sunday. The conference will focus on concerns over water use, employment and the environmental impact of the proposed projects. The “Visakhapatnam Declaration” is also expected to be released.
On water availability, Sribharat said around 3,000 TMC ft of water was flowing into the sea from Polavaram, while 23.44 TMC ft was being brought to North Andhra. “Even if there is a shortfall of 20 per cent, there will not be any problem as the irrigation system is good,” he said.
He said water supply augmentation would be required only after six to seven years, when water-intensive projects such as green hydrogen plants and new steel plants begin operations.
No major heat impact, says MP
Responding to concerns over radiation and heat generated by data centres, Sribharat said the projects had secured the required environmental clearances. “There would be some heat outside the data centre, but if it were to impact the community to a large extent, we would not have got the clearance,” he said.
He said heat generated within the campus should be viewed in the context of its actual impact on the surrounding community.
Data centres to drive wider ecosystem
On concerns that data centres would generate limited employment after construction despite occupying large tracts of land, Sribharat said they would help create a wider economic ecosystem.
The projects, he said, could attract start-ups, fintech companies and Global Capability Centres (GCCs) to their vicinity. “The setting up of a data centre should be viewed as a critical infrastructure asset,” he said.
Sribharat also said the projects would benefit local manufacturers. Apart from high-tech semiconductors, which would be imported, most of the infrastructure required for the data centres, including air-conditioning equipment, would be sourced from manufacturers in Andhra Pradesh, he said.