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(Bloomberg) — The European Union will work on setting minimum performance standards to curb water usage in data centers as the continent confronts potential shortages over the coming decades.<\/span><\/p>\n The European Commission, the bloc\u2019s executive branch, will propose the measure by the end of 2026 as part of a scheme to make data centers, whose demand for water and energy is set to surge, more sustainable, according to a draft document seen by Bloomberg News.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cKey sectors for the EU\u2019s strategic autonomy such as battery production, semiconductors, hydrogen, microchips and data centers consume large volumes of (often ultra-pure) water,\u201d a draft of the EU\u2019s Water Resilience Strategy, which is due for publication next month, says.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere is a need to estimate the water consumption for current and future scenarios, and to anticipate possible negative impacts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The climate impact of data centers has been under scrutiny over the last decade, especially given the rise of Artificial Intelligence, which is far more power-hungry than traditional computer tools. Such facilities also guzzle huge amounts of water to cool their servers and prevent them from overheating.<\/span><\/p>\n A data center requires about a 500-milliliter (17-ounce) bottle of water to generate 10 to 50 medium-length GPT-3 responses, according to\u00a0<\/span>one analysis<\/a><\/span>. Images and video use far more. Globally, water demand will surpass what is available by 40% in 2030, according to a report by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water.<\/span><\/p>\n