内容来源：https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-says-its-data-centers-use-90-less-water-than-its-earliest-facilities-as-public-concern-grows/

内容总结：

微软数据中心用水效率二十年提升90% 全球补水首超消耗

微软本周三宣布，过去二十年间，其数据中心冷却用水效率大幅提升，相比21世纪初首批设施启用时，耗水率已降低90%。去年，该公司每千瓦时用电仅消耗0.27升水，约为行业平均水平的三分之一。微软首次在全球范围内实现淡水补充量超过消耗量，标志着其2030年“水正效益”运营目标取得重要进展。

科技巨头正积极缓解外界对数据中心用水问题的担忧，该议题已成为全美争议焦点。多地社区和地方政府通过抗议或暂停新建数据中心审批来表达关切，其他顾虑还包括高能耗推高电价及噪音投诉。为此，微软今年初推出“社区优先人工智能基础设施计划”，承诺承担电力成本并放弃地方税收减免。上周，该公司公开支持旨在解决数据中心电费影响的《纳税人保护法案》，尽管此前曾反对华盛顿州一项针对类似问题的立法。

微软云运营与创新首席技术官朱迪·普里斯特和数据中心工程副总裁史蒂夫·所罗门在博文中强调，公司“仍深度致力于水资源保护”，并持续推动数据中心创新，在减少用水强度的同时满足云和人工智能服务日益增长的性能需求。

目前数据中心冷却技术各有利弊：空调系统耗电但节水，蒸发冷却能耗低但耗水量大。微软的主要节水措施包括：以风扇冷却为主，仅在室外温度超85华氏度时辅以蒸发冷却；采用芯片级冷却使水循环利用；审计数据中心确保设施按设计高效运作；扩大再生水或非饮用水使用比例。

值得注意的是，各公司用水数据口径存在差异：微软的每千瓦时耗水量仅统计自有数据中心，亚马逊则包含自有和租赁设施。尽管微软在2030年实现“水正效益”的全球目标上取得显著进展，但其“社区优先”计划进一步承诺，在运营AI数据中心的每个区域实现补水超用水，这与亚马逊和谷歌的区域性补水策略相似。

从整体看，数据中心用水量在全球工业用水中占比仍较小——亚马逊数据显示仅约0.5%。微软2024财年数据中心及其他运营总取水量为27亿加仑，作为参照，西雅图水务局每年向160万用户供水约430亿加仑。

中文翻译：

微软周三宣布，过去二十年来，其数据中心冷却用水效率显著提升，与2000年代初首批设施启用时相比，用水消耗率降低了90%。去年，该公司每千瓦时用电仅消耗0.27升水，约为行业平均水平的三分之一。微软首次实现全球淡水补充量超过消耗量，在实现2030年运营用水正效益目标的道路上迈出了重要一步。

若此消息令您似曾相识，实属正常。本月早些时候，亚马逊公布了类似的用水数据（其表现更优），谷歌也发布了关于实现水正效益的最新承诺。这些科技巨头正竭力化解外界对其用水问题的担忧——这一问题已成为全美争议焦点。社区与地方领导人纷纷抗议并通过暂停新建数据中心的法令。其他关切点还包括可能推高公用事业费率的巨大能耗及噪音投诉。

年初，微软试图通过启动“社区优先AI基础设施”计划来消除这些疑虑，承诺自行承担电费并放弃地方税收减免。上周，该公司公开支持旨在应对数据中心电费影响的国会法案《纳税人保护法》，尽管其此前曾反对华盛顿州针对类似问题的立法。微软云运营与创新首席技术官朱迪·普里斯特和数据中心工程副总裁史蒂夫·所罗门在周三发布的博文中表示，微软仍“坚定致力于”水资源保护。

“我们持续推动数据中心创新，在降低用水强度的同时，支撑云服务与AI日益增长的性能需求。”普里斯特与所罗门称。数据中心采用多种策略为电子设备降温，包括风扇、蒸发冷却、空调及直接液体冷却。不同方案各有优劣：空调耗电较多但节水，而蒸发冷却能耗较低但耗水更多。

微软的节水措施包括：主要采用风扇冷却，当外部温度超过85华氏度（约29.4摄氏度）时辅以蒸发冷却；采用芯片级冷却技术实现系统内水循环；对数据中心进行审计以确保设施按设计运行并最优节水；扩大再生水、回用水或非饮用水使用比例。在此方面比较各公司颇为复杂：微软的“每千瓦时耗水量”仅适用于自有数据中心，而亚马逊的数据则包含自有及租赁设施。

尽管微软在2020年制定的“十年内实现水正效益”目标上取得显著进展，但该目标是对全球用水与补水量的总体核算。理论上，这意味着在干旱气候区域的用水可通过在湿润地区的行动抵消其总体目标。然而，“社区优先AI基础设施”计划承诺，在其运营AI数据中心的每个区域，补水量都将超过用水量。

这一做法与亚马逊和谷歌的策略一致，不过亚马逊的补水目标仅覆盖数据中心，而非全部运营环节。尽管公众对数据中心用水的担忧日益加剧，但从更宏观视角看，其影响仍相对有限：正如亚马逊最近指出的，数据中心用水量仅占全球工业用水总量的约0.5%。就总量而言，微软在2024财年数据中心及其他运营环节的取水量为27亿加仑。作为参照，西雅图公用事业公司每年向服务区内160万居民供水约430亿加仑。

编者按：本文已更新，以说明2030年水正效益目标的实现进展目前仍在持续推进中。

英文来源：

Microsoft announced Wednesday that over the past two decades, it has become dramatically more efficient in its use of water to cool data centers, slashing its consumption rate by 90% compared to levels when it opened its first facilities in the early 2000s. The company used 0.27 liters per kilowatt-hour last year, about three times better than the industry average.
Microsoft has for the first time replenished more fresh water globally than it consumes, making important progress on its 2030 goal of being water positive across its operations.
And if this sounds familiar, you’re not wrong. Earlier this month, Amazon shared similar water usage stats (though it performed better) and Google came out with updated pledges around being water positive.
The tech giants are working to quench concerns about water use, which has become a key point of contention nationwide. Communities and local leaders are protesting and passing moratoriums on new data center construction. Other concerns include significant energy use that could drive up utility rates and noise complaints.
At the start of the year, Microsoft tried to get ahead of those fears by launching its Community-First AI Infrastructure initiative, in which it vowed to cover its electricity costs and forgo local tax breaks. Last week, it came out in support of the Ratepayer Protection Act, a congressional measure addressing data center utility bill impacts, though it earlier opposed Washington state legislation targeting some of the same concerns.
Microsoft remains “deeply committed” to water protections, said Judy Priest, CTO of Cloud Operations & Innovation, and Steve Solomon, vice president of Datacenter Engineering, in a blog post Wednesday.
“We continue to advance datacenter innovations that reduce water use intensity while supporting the growing performance demands of cloud and AI services,” Priest and Solomon said.
Data centers use a variety of strategies to keep electronics cool, including fans, evaporative cooling, air conditioning and direct liquid cooling. The approaches involve tradeoffs: air conditioning draws more electricity but saves water, while evaporative cooling is less energy-intensive but consumes more.
Microsoft’s approaches to curb its water use include:

• Cooling primarily with fans, supplemented by evaporative cooling when outside temperatures exceed 85 degrees.
• Using chip-level cooling that recirculates water through the system.
• Auditing data centers to ensure facilities are operating as designed and conserving water optimally.
• Expanding its use of recycled, reused or non-potable water.
  Comparing companies on this front is tricky. Microsoft’s liters-per-kilowatt-hour figure applies only to data centers it owns, while Amazon’s includes both its own computing facilities and leased ones.
  And although Microsoft made notable progress on the goal set in 2020 of becoming water positive within a decade, it takes a global tally of water use and replenishment. In theory, that means water used in a desert climate could be offset by Microsoft’s actions in a wetter region as regards its overarching target.The Community-First AI Infrastructure initiative, however, pledges to replenish more water than it uses in each district where it operates AI data centers.
  That aligns with the approach used by Amazon and Google, though Amazon’s replenishment goal covers only data centers, not all of its operations.
  While concern about data center water use is growing, it remains relatively modest in the broader context: data centers account for about 0.5% of all industrial water use worldwide, as Amazon recently noted.
  In terms of total volume, Microsoft withdrew 2.7 billion gallons of water in fiscal year 2024 across its data centers and its other operations. For context, Seattle Public Utilities delivers roughly 43 billion gallons each year to 1.6 million people in its service area.
  Editor’s note: Story updated to clarify that progress on the 2030 water positive goal is ongoing.