Can We Cool Data Centers With… Pee?
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People really seem to hate data centers. And the more people learn about the amount of resources these server-packed buildings need, the bigger the backlash grows. Perhaps that’s why the viral music video and beverage ad “We Want Your Pee” took off in popularity about a month ago. It’s a collaboration between Liquid Death and Jason Kelce’s Garage Beer, and it advocates that urine could address the cooling needs of data centers. It’s obviously a joke… but could it actually work? Host Morgan Sung talks to journalist Amanda Silberling about what she discovered when she looked into this question, and about the alternative cooling methods that might actually help everyone’s least favorite buildings use a little less H2O.
Guest:
- Amanda Silberling, senior writer at TechCrunch
Further Reading/Listening:
- OK, can we actually cool data centers with our pee? — Amanda Silberling, TechCrunch
- AI was supposed to win people over by now — it hasn’t — Sarah Perez, TechCrunch
- Major YouTube creators are facing backlash for accepting AI money — Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge
- Why OpenAI’s influencer trip backfired — The Art of Influence
- Americans’ views of data centers have turned more negative — Brian Kennedy, Pew Research
- NASA just recycled 98% of all astronaut pee and sweat on the ISS (engineers are thrilled) — Robert Lea, Space
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Episode Transcript
A full transcript will be available 1–2 workdays after the episode’s publication.