Microsoft’s New Data Centers Will Use Zero Water to Help Climate

Microsoft Corp., trying to mitigate the climate impact of its data center building boom, is starting to roll out a new design that uses zero water to cool the facilities’ chips and servers.

Launched in August, the new design will eliminate the more than 125 million liters of water each data center typically uses per year, the company said in a statement. The new system use a “closed loop” to recycle water; liquid is added during construction and continually circulated — obviating the need for fresh supplies.

Data centers will still require fresh water for worker facilities like bathrooms and kitchens.

Microsoft spent more than $50 ...