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International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Terence Repelente

AI Data Centres Are Turning to 'Forever Chemicals' to Cut Water Use, Fueling PFAS Boom

Manufacturers are planning to produce more of the forever chemicals to meet demand from data centres (Credit: Brett Sayles/Pexels)

The AI boom is pushing data centres towards cooling systems that can slash water use but rely on fluorinated chemicals that environmental groups warn could deepen the world's PFAS (Poly Fluoroalkyl Substances) pollution problem.

A new report from Swedish chemicals watchdog ChemSec says most major PFAS producers are expanding capacity, driven by demand from AI data-centre infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing and lithium-ion batteries.

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