AI Data Centers Are Consuming Billions of Gallons of Water And Most of It Is Invisible
Artificial intelligence’s insatiable appetite for electricity is triggering an escalating water crisis that goes far beyond the cooling towers visible at data centers; one that regulators, cities, and utility planners are only beginning to understand. AI Commission
While major tech firms have reduced on-site water use through liquid cooling innovations, the real strain lies off-site. Power plants supplying electricity to AI facilities; mostly fossil-fuel and nuclear require enormous volumes of water to generate steam. Meta’s indirect water consumption reached 21 billion gallons in 2024, with 96% of that occurring off-site, a 120% increase from 2021. University of Michigan researchers estimate just three planned AI data centers in Michigan would add 14 billion gallons of indirect water use annually.
The burden falls hardest in drought-stricken regions. Arizona; in a record 26-year drought, faces projected AI-linked on-site demand of 5 billion gallons per year. At least 45 data center projects worth $68 billion have already been blocked or delayed.
AI data centers consume roughly ten times the electricity of conventional facilities. Until indirect water use is measured and regulated alongside on-site consumption, the true cost of the AI boom will remain largely hidden.
Read our previous article on AI and Data Center related news here.
