Brief
UAE data‑centre operator Khazna outlines climate‑risk plan for AI facilities
Khazna’s ESG report shows water consumption, cooling strategies and flood‑risk design for its 200 MW AI campus.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Khazna Data Centers, a key developer of the United Arab Emirates’ artificial‑intelligence infrastructure, released its first environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, detailing how it is preparing new data‑centre facilities for extreme heat, heavy rain, flooding and water shortages.
The report focuses on the initial 200 MW development at the UAE‑US AI Campus in Abu Dhabi. It says the company assessed medium‑ and long‑term exposure to high temperatures, flood risk and water stress, and used the findings to shape site layout, drainage, cooling systems and equipment choices.
Elisabetta Baronio, ESG Director at Khazna, told Khaleej Times that a data centre’s environmental impact is set long before any server is powered on. She explained that location, building materials, cooling and power‑system design, supplier selection and operational practices all determine the facility’s footprint.
Baronio noted that AI workloads generate more heat in a smaller footprint, increasing demand on power distribution and cooling. "Power distribution needs to support higher loads, cooling systems need to remove more heat, and the infrastructure still has to maintain the reliability and redundancy expected of a mission‑critical facility," she said.
The ESG report shows Khazna’s owned facilities used about 393,000 cubic metres of water in 2025, with roughly 305,000 cubic metres for cooling. Of the cooling water, about 244,000 cubic metres was potable, while 60,000 cubic metres came from recycled sources, meaning four‑fifths of cooling water was drinking‑water quality. Across its portfolio, recycled water made up 19.8 % of cooling‑water needs in 2025.
At the DXB1 site in Dubai, the company already uses treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality for cooling, reducing reliance on desalinated water. Khazna primarily employs air‑based cooling, and its report says 19 of its data centres use this method.
Baronio concluded that the UAE’s climate forces engineers to balance high ambient temperatures with the pressure large‑scale infrastructure places on water resources, prompting the search for alternative cooling sources as computing capacity expands.
Key facts
- Khazna’s ESG report assesses climate risks for its 200 MW AI campus in Abu Dhabi. (khaleejtimes.com)
- In 2025 Khazna’s facilities consumed about 393,000 cubic metres of water, 305,000 cubic metres for cooling. (khaleejtimes.com)
- Recycled water accounted for 19.8 % of cooling‑water needs in 2025. (khaleejtimes.com)
- At DXB1 in Dubai, treated sewage effluent is used for cooling. (khaleejtimes.com)
- Baronio said AI workloads increase heat output, raising power and cooling demands. (khaleejtimes.com)
Sources
- [1] khaleejtimes.com — originally reported as “How UAE prepares AI data centers for heavy rains, extreme heat, water shortages”
