16 July 2026 (Thursday), 15:00-16:30 JST
MIRAI CREA 2F Large Conference Room
(in-person only)
About the Lecture
The proliferation of AI uses and applications is physically manifested in acceleration of data center construction. This seminar examines the intersection of data center operation and water policy through the perspective of the circular economy. In their water-intensity, data centers present environmental challenges when they are constructed in areas with existing water stress. Conventional approaches to water use in data centers, as in industrial production more generally, remain largely linear, with technologies and design improvements focusing on efficiency gains in extraction, consumption, and discharge. In such cases, there is often limited attention to water reuse, recovery, or system-wide efficiency.
The adoption of circular water principles in data center operations is imperative as the demand for AI continues to grow. In this seminar, operational strategies, such as closed-loop cooling systems, wastewater reuse, and the co-location of data centers with municipal or industrial water infrastructure, will be explained. By discussing policy gaps and constraints, including fragmented governance, insufficient incentives, limited cross-sector coordination, and weak reporting transparency, this seminar will illustrate these arguments through case examples from the United States and Japan.
About the Speaker
Dr. Kris Hartley is Assistant Professor of Sustainability and Enterprise at Arizona State University, School of Sustainability. He researches the role of public policy in technology-enabled sustainability transitions, with a focus on (i) circular economy and business models, (ii) global and multilateral policy frameworks for circularity, and (iii) state-society interface in the development and application of policy knowledge to scientific and technological issues.
Dr. Hartley has published books with Cambridge University Press and Routledge Press, and peer-reviewed articles on a variety of topics, including environmental policy, smart cities, and global development. He was a Fulbright U.S. Scholar (2020) and has held faculty appointments at Cornell University, University of Melbourne, and City University of Hong Kong. He serves as an Associate Editor for Policy Sciences journal, and serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Economic Policy Reform, International Journal of Water Resources Development, Journal of Asian Public Policy, and Journal of Circular Economy.
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