Veolia, Amazon develop data centre water reuse system

Author: Joe Peck

Veolia, a French multinational environmental services company, is working with US technology and e-commerce company Amazon to introduce reclaimed water for cooling at a data centre in Mississippi, USA, as part of efforts to reduce water use and support long-term water resilience.

The facility, expected to be operational in 2027, will be the first Amazon data centre in the state to use treated wastewater for cooling processes. The system will convert effluent from nearby treatment plants into water suitable for industrial use.

Once fully operational, the project is expected to reuse more than 83 million gallons (313 million litres) of potable water each year, reducing demand on local groundwater and drinking water supplies.

Veolia will deploy modular, containerised treatment systems designed for scalable use. The approach allows similar installations to be introduced at other data centres where conditions allow.

Turning wastewater into cooling power for data centres

The collaboration also includes the use of artificial intelligence to improve water treatment processes. Amazon Web Services (AWS) will support Veolia in developing systems for real-time optimisation, predictive maintenance, and operational analysis.

These tools are intended to improve efficiency and reduce resource consumption across water treatment operations.

Estelle Brachlianoff, Chief Executive Officer at Veolia, comments, “We are delighted to collaborate with Amazon to secure its water needs in Mississippi while protecting the local community’s resources. This is environmental security in action.

“By combining Veolia’s water expertise with Amazon’s AI technologies, we’re transforming data centres into engines of innovation for sustainability. This solution builds on our newly launched offering for data centres.”

Will Hewes, Global Water Stewardship Lead at Amazon, adds, “Through our collaborative work on AI applied to water treatment, Veolia will be able to further drive innovation and enhance the efficiency of on-site teams, thanks to automated analytics, actionable recommendations, optimised inventory management, and streamlined maintenance.

“We’re pleased to join forces with Veolia to advance more sustainable water use strategies while helping it pioneer more efficient water treatment solutions for customers worldwide.”

The project, Amazon says, forms part of its wider aim to become water positive across its direct data centre operations by 2030.