Membrane cooling reduces water consumption in data centres by 90 per cent

A semi-permeable membrane liquid cooling technology enables high-density data centres to operate in tropical climates whilst consuming almost no water.

Unlike conventional cooling towers, which spray water into the air to dissipate heat, this membrane cooling technology uses a semi-permeable membrane that separates water from the airstream: heat is evacuated as microscopic water vapor, while liquid water itself is retained rather than wasted. The process would reduce water consumption by up to 90% compared to conventional systems.

Digital infrastructure operator Digital Edge has begun deploying the technology at its sites in Indonesia and the Philippines, where it continues to operate efficiently even in very humid environments — demonstrating that high compute density remains compatible with water sobriety, even in tropical climates.