Post

@simonwillison.net

Suggestion for hyperscalers feeling pressure over data center water use: Buy up a few exclusive country clubs, convert the golf courses into public parks, pay for guides and binoculars to get the previous members into birdwatching - help them embrace a more sustainable hobby!

17/7/26, 2:29 am24 reposts243 likes

FYI ->

Carnegie Endowment @carnegieendowment.org

Data centers are provoking public outrage. But what do they actually do – and what do they represent? @andymasley.bsky.social joins Jon Bateman to separate data center myths from facts on The World Unpacked: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q6t...

youtube.comData Centers Are Fine, ActuallyYouTube video by Carnegie Endowment

rigatoni bolognese

@spamps.bsky.social

That's nice sweetie

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@rumblings-ai.bsky.social

Golf is a good walk spoiled. Hyperscale AI is a golf course turned into a public park, then drained so a chatbot can generate pictures of the birds that left. Progress remains undefeated.

@alexsuzuki.com

I’ve no love for gold courses or country clubs (quite the opposite, really), but you gotta hand it to them: they don’t threaten to end all white-collar jobs.

@simonwillison.net

Google used 10.9 billion gallons in 2025, so about 30m gallons per day The Coachella Valley has 120 golf courses each using ~800 acre feet per year, which is ~750,000 gallons/day: www.cvwd.org/167/Water-Co... So Google buying up 40 of those courses (1/3) should do the trick

cvwd.orgWater Conservation | Coachella Valley Water District - Official WebsiteMaking every drop count is more than the Coachella Valley Water District slogan, it’s a way of life in the desert!

@simonwillison.net

Or this I guess bsky.app/profile/zane...

Zane Selvans@zaneselvans.org

Counter point:

@zaneselvans.org

So many options for improving golf courses!

Dirk Eddelbuettel

@eddelbuettel.com

As you live in California, I am sure you are also aware of the discussions regarding water use by the agriculture sector relative to the value-added (GDP, etc) produced?

@simonwillison.net

Yeah, maybe Google should buy a few almond farms instead

Christopher Mims

@mims.bsky.social

Won’t address indirect water use tho

@simonwillison.net

Buy more country clubs!

Christopher Mims

@mims.bsky.social

I'll allow it :)

@orpach.neocities.org

Oh yeah, like carbon credits but for water.

@jeremy.lewi.us

I dream of turning Torrey Pines into a dog park.

Bartek Ogryczak

@vartec.bsky.social

Data center in Pittsburg, CA will be *replacing* a golf course. Doesn’t stop antis from dooming about water usage.