AI Boom Drives Surge in Data Center Energy and Water Consumption
A United Nations report reveals that global data centers consumed 448 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2025, ranking them as the world's 11th largest electricity consumer. Projections suggest that by 2030, these facilities could rank sixth globally for power use and consume up to 9.3 trillion liters of water. Public and legislative backlash is growing, with New York implementing a one-year ban on new large centers and other states introducing regulations to protect utility costs. While tech giants like Microsoft and Google are pledging water stewardship and closed-loop cooling, critics and researchers warn of rising local temperatures and massive water footprints, such as Google's billion-gallon usage in Iowa.
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Environmental News, Data Analysis, Research & Policy Solutions. Read Our Mission Statement · About EO About Us Impact & Reach Our Planet’s Trajectory ... If treated as a country, data centers could rank sixth globally for electricity consumption by 2030.
Many states have enacted or introduced legislation that doesn't halt the construction of new data centers, but imposes regulations in hopes of protecting nearby communities from rising utility costs and mitigating adverse environmental impacts.
Microsoft CEO says new AI data centers use as little water annually as a restaurant — closed-loop cooling system aims to slash consumption from millions of gallons as AI infrastructure faces mounting environmental scrutiny | Tom's Hardware
Companies, including Microsoft ... their environmental impact, as communities grow increasingly disapproving of large-scale AI infrastructure projects. Google recently announced a series of water stewardship commitments of its own, including a pledge to replenish more water than its data centers consume by 2030. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us ...
Download USA TODAY's app to get to the heart of news Apple closing 3 stores in these 3 states in June. See locations Is 'clanker' an appropriate slang for AI? These linguists weigh in Data centers are booming in the US. Erin Brockovich is tracking them. The Pope addressed AI. Can employees reject it for religious reasons? Environmental ...
A few Arizona data centers have plans for their own natural gas turbines, including one on the outskirts of Surprise, just over 2,500 feet from the nearest homes. For more stories like this: Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's weekly environment newsletter.
Using more water can save money and reduce emissions for big tech companies by reducing the power needed for cooling that relies on energy-intensive pumps to recirculate water. But it can also come with a large water footprint: Google’s facility in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for instance, which uses evaporative cooling, consumed more than 1 billion gallons in 2024. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory predicted in a 2024 report that hyperscale data centers ...
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