Big Tech providers including Microsoft, Google and Amazon are facing growing pressure over their water usage, as demand for data centres increases stress on supplies. Many data centres operating today use fresh water to keep servers and equipment cool and thus prevent overheating.
With data centres running 24/7 and new facilities coming online to meet demand, there is growing stress being placed on water courses and supply networks particularly as most centres source their water in the form of potable (drinkable) water from utility companies. According to the United Nations, by 2025 half of the world’s population is projected to live in water-stressed areas, making the issue of water usage a critical one. Further, the UN estimates that 4 billion people, representing nearly two-thirds of the global population, presently experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year[i].
Yet data centres are being constructed and operated in regions at risk from water shortages. A study undertaken by Siddik et al in 2021 found that 20% of US data centres lie in such regions. Further, the rise of AI (Artificial Intelligence) is increasing demand, placing even greater stress on water supplies. The research paper “Making AI Less ‘Thirsty’: Uncovering and Addressing the Secret Water Footprint of AI Models” released last October, found that globally, AI has the potential to account for between 4.2 billion - 6.6 billion cubic meters of water withdrawal by 2027. This is equivalent to half the annual withdrawal in the United Kingdom each year[ii].
The scale of water use in data centres is already considerable, in 2022 Google’s self-owned data centres withdrew 25 billion litres of water, consuming almost 20 billion of this for on-site cooling, with both of these figures representing an increase of almost 20% compared to 2021[iii]. Further, Microsoft’s total water usage saw a 34% increase for the same period signifying a potential link to the growing demand for AI.
However, whilst Google and Microsoft disclose the volume of water withdrawn annually, AWS (Amazon Web Services) reports on water use effectiveness (WUE) instead. This is a measure of the amount of water used per kilowatt-hour of data centre operations, calculated by dividing annual water consumption by the amount of electricity used. In 2023, that number was 0.05 gallons per kWh, significantly lower than the industry average of 0.5 gallons per kWh.
Leading players AWS, Google and Microsoft are all investing in water restoration and sanitation projects near new data centres as their water use grows. In their recent environmental report Google stated that “In 2023, 22% of our total data centre water withdrawal (excluding seawater) was reclaimed wastewater and other non-potable water, and roughly one-third of our data centre campuses used air cooling or non-potable water sources”[iv].
In 2023, AWS’s water replenishment portfolio returned 3.5 billion litres to local communities across 15 water replenishment projects. AWS has now announced expansion of its water replenishment program to China and Chile, as well as adding new projects in the US and Brazil. Once completed, the six new projects will return an estimated 7 billion litres of water to local communities each year, as AWS strives to become water positive by 2030.
"Amazon is committed to being a good water steward everywhere it operates," said Kara Hurst, Amazon’s chief sustainability officer in a recent blog post[v].
To make a difference, AWS is targeting improving community water access, availability, and quality, as well as investing in water-stressed communities help to restore watersheds and bring clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
Kara Hurst adds: "Doing our part to help address water scarcity is essential to overcoming health and economic risks for Amazon’s employees, customers, communities, and business. One of the ways AWS is innovating to help make a difference is by expanding on its water replenishment program to more places, which will return over 7 billion litres of water each year once all of the projects are completed. We also know we can't solve the water scarcity challenge alone and are sharing our learnings with others to make an even bigger impact."[vi]
[i] Water Scarcity | UN-Water (unwater.org)
[iii] Ibid
[iv] Google 2024 Environmental Report - Google Sustainability (gstatic.com)
[vi] Ibid
Lauren has extensive experience as an analyst and market researcher in the digital technology and travel sectors. She has a background in researching and forecasting emerging technologies, with a particular passion for the Videogames and eSports industries. She joined the Critical Information Group as Head of Reports and Market Research at GRC World Forums, and leads the content and data research team at the Zero Carbon Academy. “What drew me to the academy is the opportunity to add content and commentary around sustainability across a wealth of industries and sectors.”
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