Data center (AI computing facility)
Japanese データセンター（AIの計算施設）
A data center is a building or facility that houses many computers called servers, with the power, cooling and network links to keep them running all day. Most AI services we use are computed on servers in places like this.
Inside a data center, servers are packed into shelf-like racks, alongside storage devices that hold data and network equipment that links the servers together. It also has backup power in case of outages and air or liquid cooling to remove the heat the machines give off. Think of it as a huge apartment complex for computers, with its own electricity, water and climate-control systems.
Watch out Figures for how much water or electricity one AI question uses change a lot depending on what was counted. First check whether the number covers only water for cooling the data center, or also the water used at power plants to make the electricity. Even the same data center uses water differently depending on how it is cooled, and some new designs recycle water in a closed loop instead of letting it evaporate.
Source: What Is a Data Center? · Sustainable by design: Next-generation datacenters consume zero water for cooling · How much energy does Google's AI use? We did the math (checked 2026-10-26)