Project description
Water governance and artificial intelligence
A large amount of water is needed to cool and operate data centres and other physical infrastructures that support AI systems. This demand poses sustainability issues, as well as questions about the social equity of AI development. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the WATSAI project investigates the environmental impacts with an emphasis on how data centres lead to increased water usage and transformation of water systems in the community. By using a political economy framework and comparative case studies, the WATSAI project assesses the contributions of states, companies and civil society in shaping the environmental and social outcomes of AI infrastructural development.
Objective
The increase in production and scale of AI infrastructure over recent years has been accompanied by an equally dramatic rise in the use and demand for water as an increasingly scarce resource. The project interrogates the sustainability of AI by examining its environmental impact, in particular the depletion of water resources, exploring the relation between data centers and the reshaping of waterscapes. Through a political economy approach, such analysis brings together a consideration of the role of the state and public policies, the strategies of companies, and the response of social movements, as the construction of data centers raises crucial questions of water justice and water grabbing, especially in areas already facing water shortages.
Methodologically, the analysis rests on multi-sited fieldwork, comprising of semi-structured interviews, events participation and documentary analysis, to conduct an incorporated comparison of the US Southwest (Arizona and Texas) and the Atlantic Archipelago (UK and Ireland), with a focus on energy-water entanglements and their political implications. The cases provide a variety of landscapes in which data centers are located, providing insights on the impact not only on environmental resources, but importantly on social relations. The findings address the pressing societal question of reconciling AI technological development with environmental sustainability, particularly water resources, addressing several Sustainable Development Goals.
Building on my specialisation in political economy and water governance, through WATSAI I expand it and take it forward by applying to a contemporary societal issue that is AI infrastructural development. The institutions involved bring complementary expertise to the project: water governance (Prof. Menga, University of Bergamo, main host); political economy (Prof. Akbulut, Concordia University, outgoing phase), AI politics (Prof. Bailey, University of Birmingham, secondment).
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
24129 Bergamo
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.