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The Strain on Water Supplies: A Growing Concern for Data Centers
Booming demand for artificial intelligence tools, accelerated by the uptake of generative AI, is putting an increasing strain on water supplies to cool the IT infrastructure underpinning the technology. Now, the companies operating these data centers are facing calls to make the facilities much more efficient and subject to greater regulation.
Virginia Takes the Lead in Addressing Data Centers’ Water Use
In the US, Virginia state legislators have advanced a bill aimed at addressing data centers’ water use. The bill would authorize municipalities to require centers to submit water use estimates as part of building requirements. Virginia is currently home to one of the world’s biggest concentrations of data centers, used by companies such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.
A Growing Concern for the Environment
The Virginia Conservation Network, an environmental non-profit organization, argued in February that the state of Virginia has no regulatory oversight of data center development and that it should collect more information about their water usage in order to plan better.
The Impact of AI on Water Consumption
A major tech company’s data centers can consume many billions of liters of water annually, in some cases rivalling the water consumption of major beverage companies, says Shaolei Ren, an associate professor in electrical and computer engineering at the University of California Riverside. He estimates that global demand for AI processing will consume 4.2bn-6.6bn cubic meters of water abstracted from ground or surface sources in 2027.
Data Centers’ Water Use: A Growing Concern
Public anxiety about who is using water and for what purpose has grown since drought conditions affected Virginia and other parts of the US in 2024. Nearly every US state experienced abnormally dry conditions, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US climate agency.
Efforts to Reduce Water Consumption
Legislation, or the threat of it, and public concern about water use, has prompted some companies to take action. At Equinix, a big US data center operator, water availability has been taken into account when deciding site locations. The company says its data centers’ water use in 2023 was similar to that of a small US town annually. About 60% of that water evaporated and 40% went into the local wastewater system.
Conclusion
The rise of AI has intensified the calls for action. Data centers that handle AI workloads do more intense processing and require six to 10 times more power than conventional data centers of similar size, says Noman Bashir, an expert in computing and climate impact at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Climate and Sustainability Consortium. Efforts to use cooling mixtures as an alternative to water are fading because the liquids used "have been found to be very toxic" — which means a return to water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the estimated water consumption for AI processing in 2027?
A: 4.2bn-6.6bn cubic meters of water abstracted from ground or surface sources.
Q: How much water do data centers consume annually?
A: Many billions of liters of water, rivalling the water consumption of major beverage companies.
Q: How much water does Equinix’s data center use per year?
A: Similar to that of a small US town annually.
Q: What is the impact of AI on water consumption?
A: AI processing requires six to 10 times more power than conventional data centers, straining local water resources.
