🔵 #معرفی_مقاله
I am delighted to share that a new research paper by my talented young students has been published in Discover Sustainability (Springer Nature):
“A stock-coupled water and material circularity framework quantifies the trade-off between water and carbon in data center cooling”
Authors: Mohammad Javad Kordani, Milad Mokhtari, Amir Hossein Nimjerdi, and Seyedhossein Sajadifar.
I am particularly proud of Mohammad Javad Kordani, Milad Mokhtari, and Amir Hossein Nimjerdi for their dedication to addressing one of the emerging challenges at the intersection of AI, data centers, water resources, and sustainability.
Why does this research matter?
The rapid expansion of AI, cloud computing, and data centers is increasing pressure on both energy and water resources. While the carbon footprint of digital infrastructure has received growing attention, water use—including embodied water in equipment manufacturing—remains largely overlooked.
Main contribution
The study develops a stock-coupled water–material circularity framework that:
▪️ Links cooling-water demand to hardware stock, capacity, and replacement cycles.
▪️ Incorporates embodied Scope-3 water associated with semiconductor and equipment manufacturing.
▪️ Quantifies the water–carbon trade-off using a bi-objective framework and a 10,000-run Monte Carlo analysis.
▪️ Accounts for local water scarcity using AWARE weighting.
A key finding is that reducing water consumption can involve a carbon penalty. Closed-loop cooling achieves high water circularity but can incur higher carbon impacts, while embodied manufacturing water becomes particularly important for low-evaporation designs.
The central message is clear: data-center cooling technologies should be assessed through a coupled water–carbon perspective, rather than a single efficiency indicator.
Policy relevance
The framework can support:
▪️ Water and energy reporting for data centers
▪️ Water-scarcity considerations in data-center siting
▪️ Greater use of reclaimed and recycled water
▪️ Water and heat recovery within circular-economy strategies
▪️ Integrated water–energy–carbon accounting
As AI infrastructure expands, water should stand alongside energy and carbon in decisions about the design, assessment, and location of digital infrastructure.
I am proud to see these talented young researchers contributing to this emerging field. Supporting young researchers in transforming scientific ideas into practical solutions is one of the most rewarding aspects of academic research.
Congratulations to Mohammad Javad, Milad, and Amir Hossein. I look forward to seeing their future contributions to water, sustainability, circular economy, and emerging technologies.
📄 Read the full article:
#سجادیفر
#Water #AI #DataCenters #WaterScarcity #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #WaterManagement #ArtificialIntelligence #ClimateChange #Research #Scope3 #WaterCarbonNexus
