# The energy bill is redrawing the map for data centres

> As demand for compute grows, power supply and cooling conditions have become hard constraints on where facilities can go.

- Source: Times of China (Times of China)
- Canonical URL: https://timesofchina.cn.com/en/article/shujuzhongxin-nenghao-zhang
- Chinese edition: https://timesofchina.cn.com/article/shujuzhongxin-nenghao-zhang
- Author: 中国时报编辑部
- Section: Technology
- Published: 2026-07-16T09:00:00+08:00
- Updated: 2026-07-16T09:00:00+08:00
- Tags: 数据中心, 能耗, 液冷

---

Growing demand for compute has turned data centres from background infrastructure into something people pay attention to. It has also produced an energy bill that is increasingly hard to ignore.

Consumption comes from two places: the servers doing the work, and the cooling systems keeping them within temperature. The first varies with load. The second depends heavily on the local climate.

## From close to users to close to power

Early facilities were sited near users to minimise latency. As network capacity improved, workloads that tolerate latency, such as training and storage, began migrating toward regions with abundant power and cooler air.

That migration creates new coordination problems. Regions with plentiful electricity do not necessarily have experienced operations staff or suitable connectivity, and the supporting environment has to be built alongside, or the finished facility runs below the utilisation it was planned for.

## Cooling choices set long-run cost

Air cooling is mature and simple to maintain, but its efficiency falls away at high power density. Liquid cooling can cut cooling energy substantially, at the price of higher upfront investment and new demands on hall design and operating procedure.

Which one to choose depends on expected load and service life. For a facility running at consistently high load, liquid cooling usually pays back within a few years. For one with volatile load, flexibility may be worth more than peak efficiency.

---

Originally published by Times of China. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://timesofchina.cn.com/en/article/shujuzhongxin-nenghao-zhang.