Gulf_Sailor t1_iwj06zo wrote
We have too little water to be building chip plants out here
ThoriatedFlash t1_iwj4pfq wrote
We may need to stop giving a bunch of cheap water to the alfalfa farms. I don't know how much water the chip plants use, but I would imagine it is less than the farms.
https://azpbs.org/horizon/2022/06/saudi-water-deal-threatening-water-supply-in-phoenix/
Gulf_Sailor t1_iwj5hjh wrote
The alfalfa crops are also absurd, especially the ones that go straight to the Saudis, who drained their own aquifers exporting wheat.
drawkbox t1_iwkp9fv wrote
Most chip plants recycle/reuse/reclaim almost all their water. Intel has always had that in the US, been doing that since the 90s in Arizona, and around 97% of water is fully reused.
Another aspect is it industry is built in the US and Arizona makes sense from environmental impacts (no earthquakes, hurricanes, winter etc) then the industry will make sure more water makes it to Arizona.
In a way having production in the desert there will lead to water innovation, like pipelines/geoengineering/solar stills/desalination/innovations on recycling more water and many other things.
Necessity drives innovation.
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