Technology Infrastructure Impact Model (TIIM)

Systems Thinking for Infrastructure Decisions

Research Library

Purpose

The Research Library serves as a curated repository of publications, case studies, stakeholder insights, and technical resources informing the Technology Infrastructure Impact Model (TIIM).

Infrastructure Challenges Being Explored

Understanding Data Center Water Demand

Key Question

How much water does AI infrastructure actually require, and is water use the real issue—or simply the most visible one?

Why This Matters

As AI infrastructure expands, water has become one of the most visible topics in public discussions surrounding data centers. Yet water demand is influenced by cooling architecture, climate, energy systems, facility design, water source availability, and operational strategy. Understanding water demand requires looking beyond a single metric and evaluating the broader ecosystem.

What We Are Learning

  • Water use is not a single number.
  • Cooling architecture matters.
  • Water and energy tradeoffs exist.
  • Wastewater may become a resource.
  • Infrastructure impacts extend beyond the facility boundary.

[ Understanding Data Center Water Demand ]

Evaluating Cooling Technology Tradeoffs

Key Question

What cooling architectures provide the best balance between water use, energy consumption, reliability, cost, and future scalability?

Why This Matters

As computing densities continue to increase, cooling systems are becoming one of the most important design decisions in modern infrastructure. Different cooling architectures can significantly affect water consumption, energy demand, operational reliability, capital costs, and long-term sustainability. Understanding these tradeoffs is critical for evaluating infrastructure performance within the broader ecosystem.

What We Are Learning

  • There is no single “best” cooling technology.
  • Cooling decisions often involve water-energy tradeoffs.
  • Higher computing densities are driving new cooling approaches.
  • Climate and regional conditions influence technology effectiveness.
  • Cooling architecture can significantly impact infrastructure resilience and resource demand.

[ Evaluating Cooling Technology Tradeoffs]

Municipal Wastewater Reuse

Key Question

Can wastewater become a sustainable resource for infrastructure systems, and what opportunities and tradeoffs accompany its use?

Why This Matters

As water demand increases and freshwater resources face growing pressure, municipalities and infrastructure developers are increasingly exploring treated wastewater as an alternative water source. Wastewater reuse has the potential to reduce potable water demand, improve resource resilience, and support long-term growth. At the same time, it introduces important considerations related to treatment requirements, reliability, public perception, regulatory frameworks, and infrastructure integration.

What We Are Learning

  • Wastewater is increasingly being evaluated as a resource rather than a waste stream.
  • Treatment requirements vary depending on the intended application.
  • Reuse can reduce dependence on potable water supplies.
  • Reliability and water quality are critical factors in system design.
  • Successful implementation requires coordination across multiple stakeholders and infrastructure systems.

[ Municipal Wastewater Reuse]

Water Recovery Technologies

Key Question

How can infrastructure systems recover, reuse, and recirculate water that would otherwise be lost?

Why This Matters

Growing water demand, resource constraints, and infrastructure expansion are driving interest in technologies capable of recovering water from industrial processes, cooling systems, wastewater streams, and even the atmosphere. Water recovery technologies have the potential to reduce freshwater demand, improve system resilience, and transform water management from a linear process into a circular one.

What We Are Learning

  • Significant quantities of water may be recoverable from existing infrastructure systems.
  • Water recovery opportunities exist at multiple points within the water cycle.
  • Recovery technologies vary significantly in maturity, cost, and application.
  • Water recovery can reduce demand on municipal and natural water resources.
  • Emerging technologies continue to expand what is technically and economically feasible.

[ Water Recovery Technologies]

Thermal Energy Recovery

Key Question

Can waste heat generated by infrastructure systems be transformed into a valuable resource rather than treated as a byproduct?

Why This Matters

Many infrastructure systems generate significant amounts of thermal energy that is often rejected to the environment through cooling systems. As energy demand grows and communities seek more efficient resource utilization, interest is increasing in opportunities to recover, store, and repurpose thermal energy. Understanding when and where thermal energy recovery creates value is an important part of evaluating infrastructure through an ecosystem lens.

What We Are Learning

  • Waste heat may represent an untapped resource rather than an unavoidable loss.
  • Opportunities for thermal energy recovery vary by climate, location, and infrastructure type.
  • Thermal energy can potentially support district energy systems, industrial processes, agriculture, and other community applications.
  • Successful implementation often requires coordination across multiple stakeholders and infrastructure systems.
  • The greatest opportunities frequently emerge when infrastructure is evaluated beyond the facility boundary.

[ Thermal Energy Recovery ]

District Energy Systems

Key Question

How can infrastructure systems share resources to create value beyond the facility boundary?

Why This Matters

Infrastructure is often planned and operated as a collection of independent systems. District energy systems offer an alternative approach by enabling multiple facilities, communities, and stakeholders to share thermal energy, cooling capacity, and other resources through interconnected networks. As infrastructure demands continue to grow, district energy systems are increasingly being evaluated as a way to improve efficiency, enhance resilience, and unlock broader ecosystem benefits.

What We Are Learning

  • Significant opportunities may exist when infrastructure systems are evaluated collectively rather than individually.
  • Thermal energy that would otherwise be rejected can potentially support district heating and cooling applications.
  • District energy systems can improve overall resource efficiency and infrastructure utilization.
  • Successful implementation often requires collaboration among utilities, municipalities, developers, and community stakeholders.
  • The greatest opportunities frequently emerge at the interfaces between infrastructure systems rather than within individual facilities.

[District Energy Systems ]

Community Impact Assessment

Key Question

How can infrastructure decisions be evaluated in a way that considers both project objectives and the communities in which they operate?

Why This Matters

Infrastructure projects influence far more than the facilities themselves. Water resources, energy systems, transportation networks, economic development, environmental conditions, and quality of life can all be affected by infrastructure decisions. Understanding these impacts requires a broader perspective that considers both benefits and tradeoffs across the ecosystem.

What We Are Learning

  • Community impacts extend beyond traditional project boundaries.
  • Stakeholders often evaluate the same project through different lenses and priorities.
  • Transparency and early engagement can improve understanding and decision-making.
  • Economic, environmental, and infrastructure outcomes are interconnected.
  • Effective planning requires balancing project needs with long-term community resilience and value creation.

[ Community Impact Assessment]

Resource Recovery Technologies

Key Question

What opportunities emerge when infrastructure outputs are viewed as resources rather than waste streams?

Why This Matters

Many infrastructure systems generate outputs that are traditionally managed as waste, including water, heat, minerals, nutrients, and other byproducts. Advances in technology and systems thinking are creating new opportunities to recover, repurpose, and create value from these outputs. Understanding resource recovery opportunities can help improve efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and support more resilient infrastructure systems.

What We Are Learning

  • Infrastructure outputs often contain resources with potential economic and societal value.
  • Resource recovery opportunities exist across water, energy, materials, and industrial systems.
  • Technology innovation continues to expand what can be recovered and reused.
  • Successful implementation frequently requires collaboration across multiple stakeholders and industries.
  • The greatest opportunities often emerge when systems are evaluated holistically rather than in isolation.

[ Resource Recovery Technologies]

Featured Research

Foundational Research Informing TIIM

The following publications have contributed to ongoing discussions surrounding infrastructure planning, resource management, technology evaluation, and ecosystem-centered decision-making.

Understanding AI Infrastructure Resource Demands

University of Texas at Austin White Paper

This white paper examines the growing water demands associated with data center expansion in Texas and highlights the need for improved transparency, stakeholder coordination, and long-term resource planning. The research underscores that water is becoming a critical infrastructure consideration alongside power and land use. Data centers could potentially account for 3%–9% of Texas water use by 2040 according to the report. (Compass)

Related Topics

  • Understanding Data Center Water Demand
  • Evaluating Cooling Technology Tradeoffs
  • Community Impact Assessment

Publication

Water Recovery Through Advanced Materials

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs)

Research involving MOFs and COFs has demonstrated the potential to harvest water directly from the atmosphere, even in low-humidity environments. These technologies represent an emerging class of water recovery solutions capable of expanding how communities think about water resilience and resource recovery. MOFs have demonstrated water capture at relative humidity levels as low as 10%, while COF research continues to expand atmospheric water harvesting capabilities. (American Chemical Society Publications)

Related Topics

  • Water Recovery Technologies
  • Resource Recovery Technologies
  • Infrastructure Resilience

Publications

Municipal Wastewater Reuse for Infrastructure Systems

Municipal Wastewater Reuse in Power Generation

Long before wastewater reuse became part of discussions surrounding AI infrastructure, the power generation sector was actively evaluating treated municipal wastewater as an alternative cooling water source. These studies provide valuable insights regarding treatment requirements, operational considerations, infrastructure integration, and long-term resource resilience.

Related Topics

  • Municipal Wastewater Reuse
  • Understanding Data Center Water Demand
  • Resource Recovery Technologies

Publications

Ecosystem Insights

Observations Emerging from the Ecosystem

TIIM continues to evolve through engagement with engineers, operators, researchers, technology developers, utilities, municipalities, policymakers, and community stakeholders.

The insights below represent recurring observations, questions, and opportunities emerging from these discussions.

Infrastructure Decisions Often Lag Demand Growth

Why It Matters

Many infrastructure projects require years of planning, permitting, and construction. By the time facilities become operational, demand, technology, and resource conditions may have changed significantly.

Questions Worth Exploring

  • How should future demand be incorporated into planning?
  • Can infrastructure be designed for adaptability?
  • What technologies should be evaluated earlier?

Related Topics

  • Understanding Data Center Water Demand
  • Evaluating Cooling Technology Tradeoffs
  • Community Impact Assessment