‘Tidal wave’ of Pfas being launched to satisfy AI industry, campaigners warn
TL;DR
Most of the world's ten biggest PFAS manufacturers plan to increase production and cite demand from the AI industry, according to a survey by Swedish chemicals watchdog ChemSec. The forever chemicals are used in semiconductor manufacturing and in immersion cooling, where datacentre servers sit in a bath of low-boiling PFAS fluid. Daikin is planning a datacentre hub and Arkema is adding a 60 million dollar unit in Kentucky.
Nauti's Take
Immersion cooling saves energy and water, and AI infrastructure badly needs that efficiency. The problem is the chemistry behind it: PFAS practically never break down, and every new plant locks in a dependency that European regulators are trying to wind down.
BASF and Archroma exiting shows that alternatives are feasible. We see an opportunity for PFAS-free cooling fluids here.
Anyone planning datacentres or buying hosting should already treat the cooling technology as a compliance risk.
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