AI Data Centers' Water Use: Globally Modest, Locally Significant
While the total water consumption of AI data centers is negligible on a global scale, they can have a substantial impact on local water resources, especially in water-scarce regions.
Recent reports on the water usage of artificial intelligence data centers reveal that, although the global impact is minimal, the local consequences can be significant. For instance, a Meta data center in Newton County, Georgia, now consumes about 10% of the entire county's water supply, according to a New York Times report from last year.
Furthermore, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin estimates that data centers currently account for 8% of total water consumption in the region, a figure that could rise to 29% by 2050 if the concentration of data centers in northern Virginia continues at its current pace. Such concentrated water use strains local infrastructure and supplies.
A 2025 Business Insider report found that 40% of planned and existing data centers in the US are located in areas with high or extremely high water scarcity, as measured by the World Resources Institute.
In response to these concerns, major tech companies are striving to project efficiency and responsible stewardship. Amazon says it allows data centers to run at higher temperatures to reduce cooling water, and it funds 50 water projects expected to return over 5.8 billion gallons of water annually to local communities. Google has announced 165 water stewardship projects that it says will replenish more than 19 billion gallons of water annually by 2030.
While the public's worries about data center water consumption drive corporate responsibility, the overall numbers suggest that a global water catastrophe due to AI data centers is unlikely.
