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University of Texas Researchers Model Oilfield Wastewater for AI Data Center Cooling
University of Texas researchers have developed a model suggesting that desalinated brackish groundwater and oil and gas wastewater could be used to cool AI data centers. The study, published in Water Research in September 2026, found that the energy and cost of treating these water sources would represent only a small fraction of a data center's overall energy demand. The research was led by mechanical engineering professor Vaibhav Bahadur and introduced a new metric called Saline Water Utilization Intensity (SWUI) to gauge local water stress under different treatment scenarios. The study offers a possible argument to regulators to bring back data center permits in the state of Texas, which has paused new permits due to investigations into water use by existing facilities.