WATER POSITIVITY
The data centre industry is undergoing a fundamental shift in how it approaches thermal management, driven by the dual pressures of AI-driven density requirements and mounting concerns over resource consumption.
Closed-loop cooling systems, once considered a specialised solution, are rapidly becoming the standard architecture for operators seeking to balance performance with environmental responsibility.
At the heart of this transformation is a simple principle: circulating coolant through sealed systems that eliminate the need for constant water replenishment.
Unlike traditional evaporative cooling, which loses millions of gallons annually through tower operations, closedloop architectures recirculate fluid continuously, removing dependency on freshwater resources whilst simultaneously enabling far higher rack densities.
The waterless target for data centres Edged US has positioned waterless cooling at the centre of its expansion strategy. In 2025, the company broke ground on its second Aurora, Illinois facility, a high-density AI data centre designed to save more than 277 million gallons of water annually compared to conventional evaporative approaches. The site has been designed to deploy closed-loop, waterless cooling capable of supporting densities up to 200kW per rack using its ThermalWorks liquid-to-chip system.
“ Safety and performance are at the core of everything we do,” said Bryant Farland, President and CEO of Edged US.“ From design through construction and operations, we hold ourselves and our partners to the highest standards of safety excellence. This new facility demonstrates our commitment to building ultra-efficient, resilient and secure data centres that protect both people and the planet.”
The Chicago campus, where Edged’ s first facility opened in February 2025, will consume zero water for cooling. Portfolio-wide, the operator targets an average design power usage
92 February 2026