Best Available Technology (BAT) for Data Centers That Bring Their Own Power (Behind-the-Meter / On-Site Generation)

Here in central Montana, water is life. Our farms, ranches, and communities depend on every drop, especially during dry summers. When big AI data centers come calling, one of the biggest questions is how they plan to keep their thousands of servers from overheating. The good news is that technology has improved. There is now a clear “Best Available Technology” (BAT) that can sharply reduce both electricity use and water consumption.

Old Way vs. New Way

Traditional air cooling — basically giant fans and cooling towers that evaporate huge amounts of water — is outdated for today’s power-hungry AI servers. These systems can suck down 1 to 5 million gallons of water per day per large facility and waste a lot of electricity.

The best available technology today is advanced liquid cooling, especially direct-to-chip cooling. This method runs a special liquid coolant through metal plates placed directly on the hottest parts of the computer chips (the CPUs and GPUs). It’s often combined with rear-door heat exchangers or some air cooling for the rest of the equipment.

Even better for water-conscious areas like Montana is pairing this with closed-loop dry coolers. Instead of evaporating water into the air like old cooling towers, the heat is transferred to the liquid and then released into the outside air through large radiator-style coolers. Once the system is filled, ongoing water use can drop to nearly zero.

Another strong option for the most advanced facilities is immersion cooling, where servers are actually submerged in a special non-conductive fluid. This can cut cooling energy use dramatically.

Why This Matters to Rural Montana

•  Water Savings: Modern liquid cooling systems can reduce or eliminate the massive evaporative water loss that worried so many neighbors in Broadview, Great Falls, and Bonner.

•  Lower Power Bills: These systems are far more efficient. Good facilities now aim for a PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) of 1.10 to 1.20. That means much less wasted electricity, which helps keep rates stable for farms and homes instead of driving them up.

•  Less Strain: Lower energy use means less pressure on NorthWestern Energy’s grid and fewer calls for new power plants.

The Bottom Line for Montana

When any company proposes a hyperscale AI data center in our state — whether near Billings, Great Falls, or elsewhere — local leaders and residents should insist on Best Available Technology as a condition of approval. No outdated evaporative cooling towers. Require closed-loop liquid cooling, clear performance numbers on water use and PUE, and independent verification.

We don’t have to choose between progress and protecting our water and way of life. The technology exists today to do both. Montana should demand the best — not settle for yesterday’s methods that waste our most precious resources.

Rural communities have every right to ask: “Show us you’re using the best available technology to protect our water and keep our power costs reasonable.” That’s just good stewardship.