AI Data Centers' Water Usage a Fraction of Total Consumption

Data Centers' Water Usage a Fraction of Total Consumption">

If you hang out in any even vaguely AI-skeptical parts of the Internet, you've probably stumbled on plenty of memes and posts premised on data centers' insatiable thirst for water to power evaporative cooling. But a new report from Amazon highlights just how little water all these AI data centers are using in aggregate, on a relative basis, even as individual data centers can strain local water supplies. Amazon claims its data centers withdrew 'about 2.5 billion gallons' globally in 2025.

That number sounds incredibly large at first glance, but it looks downright puny compared to the 117 trillion gallons of water withdrawn in the US alone in 2015. It's also useful to compare Amazon's number to stats from more water-intensive areas, from the 3.3 trillion gallons used annually on US lawns and landscaping to the 1.3 trillion gallons a year used in California almond orchards to the 531 billion gallons a year used just for US golf courses. Amazon is just one company, of course, and a relative latecomer to reporting its data center water usage numbers.

Google data centers withdrew about more than 6.1 billion gallons of water in 2024, on top of about 2.75 billion gallons from Microsoft and about 1.4 billion gallons from Meta in the same year. Why this matters: The findings from Amazon's report have significant implications for the broader industry. While individual data centers can strain local water supplies, the aggregate impact of AI data centers on overall water consumption is relatively minimal.

This nuance is often lost in conversations about the environmental impact of AI and data centers. For developers and businesses, this means that efforts to reduce water usage should be targeted and strategic, focusing on areas where data centers do have a significant impact. For consumers, it's a reminder that the conversation around AI and sustainability is complex and multifaceted.

As AI continues to grow, it's clear that data centers will play a larger role in the global water landscape, but the extent of their impact remains to be seen. One thing is certain: more transparency and data are needed to inform the conversation and drive meaningful change.