From Fortune · Joshua Hong · · 2m
AI's cooling crisis fuels forever chemicals boom
Data centers are swapping water for PFAS to manage heat, and chemical makers are ramping up production to meet surging demand.
In brief
Data centers are swapping water for PFAS to manage heat, and chemical makers are ramping up production to meet surging demand. The push to cool AI infrastructure is driving massive expansion of PFAS production, chemicals that persist in the environment and human bodies indefinitely. Originally reported by Fortune.
Data centers need massive cooling
AI equipment generates enormous heat. Instead of water, newer data center cooling systems use fluorinated chemicals called PFAS, also known as forever chemicals.
Chemical makers are expanding fast
Major producers like Chemours, Daikin, and Arkema are increasing PFAS production to meet demand from data centers and semiconductor manufacturing. Chemours alone gets between 50 and 67 percent of its 5.8 billion dollar revenue from PFAS.
Data center construction is exploding
Data center facilities accounted for nearly 46 percent of private office construction last year, up from less than 5 percent a decade ago. Spending jumped from 1.8 billion dollars in 2014 to 41.1 billion dollars last year.
PFAS chemicals don't break down
PFAS are highly resistant to heat and don't degrade easily, making them useful for cooling but dangerous when exposed. The chemicals have been found in the blood of 97 percent of Americans.
“PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans.”
The cost of forever chemicals
The world's biggest PFAS makers earned roughly 4 billion dollars in profit in 2022, but society paid an estimated 17.5 trillion dollars a year in healthcare costs, cleanup, and contaminated water.
Environmental groups are fighting back
In July, 17 environmental organizations asked the EPA to reject Chemours' application to fast-track a new PFAS chemical for data center cooling, citing underestimated health and climate risks.
“If even a small fraction of the Opteon 2P50 used in a large data center leaks, it would result in a significant release of PFAS gases.”
Chemours says systems are safe
Chemours denies concerns about leaks, saying its cooling systems operate as closed loops with minimal gas escape. The company launched new refrigerants in August and continues expanding production.
International lawsuits mount
French citizens filed a lawsuit against Arkema and Daikin in January over PFAS pollution, with 192 citizens and four environmental organizations citing concerns about chemical contamination in the region.
The essence
The push to cool AI infrastructure is driving massive expansion of PFAS production, chemicals that persist in the environment and human bodies indefinitely.
