Water use
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Electrical Equipment, Electricians and a Pause in Texas: Data Centers in the Federal Reserve's Beige Book of October 2026
The Federal Reserve's Beige Book of October 2026 summarizes what contacts outside the Federal Reserve System reported in its twelve districts. In the Kansas City Fed's section, "it was noted that the data center buildout has crowded out other production and put pressure on the labor market."
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Design and construction Chips, racks and cooling
From the First Reporting Period: The European Commission's Report on the Energy Efficiency of Data Centers in the EU
The European Commission's report of September 21, 2026 assesses what data centers in the EU reported in a first reporting period, when only part of those required to report did so. It gives average scores for power and water use, and sets out a first step toward minimum performance standards.
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Before Construction and Every Year After: Utah's Water Reporting Law for Large Data Centers
Utah's H.B. 76, which takes effect on May 6, 2026, requires the operator of a new large data center to report its estimated water withdrawal before construction and its actual withdrawals each year after it begins operation. The state's Division of Water Rights is to publish each center's withdrawal data.
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Properties Affected by Contamination: EPA's Guidance on Superfund and Brownfield Sites as AI Data Centers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's guidance of January 2026 gives introductory information on how Superfund and Brownfield sites may be redeveloped as AI data centers. Its table of initial criteria sets power, water and the state of a site's cleanup beside size and location, and it says local conditions and regulations will determine whether a site is suitable.
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All, Some, or None of the Sites: The Energy Department's Request for Information on AI Infrastructure on DOE Lands
A request for information by the U.S. Department of Energy, signed on March 21, 2025, seeks to assess industry interest in developing, operating and maintaining AI infrastructure on select land the department owns or manages, and lists sites. It is not a solicitation, and the department may choose to make available all, some or none of the listed sites in potential future solicitations.
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Design and construction Chips, racks and cooling
What Is Measured, and What Is Made Public: The Annexes to the European Commission's Delegated Act on a Rating Scheme for Data Centers
The annexes to a European Commission delegated act, dated March 14, 2024, set out what data centers must measure and communicate to a European database, from energy and water to reused heat, and how scores such as Power Usage Effectiveness are calculated. The database is to be publicly available on an aggregated level, by Member State and for the Union.
