The land and energy required to support these megacampuses are but two inputs in the global supply chain of data center expansion. So, too, is the extraordinary volume of minerals including copper and lithium needed to build the hardware—computers, cables, power lines, batteries, backup generators—and the extraordinary volume of potable—yes, potable—water often needed to cool the servers. (The water must be clean enough to avoid clogging pipes and bacterial growth; potable water meets that standard.) According to an estimate from researchers at the University of California, Riverside, surging
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