Artificial intelligence (AI) could indirectly cause drought as data center water consumption has skyrocketed in the last few years. According to a Financial Times report, the water consumption rate in Virginia, the state with the most data centers in the US, has increased by almost two-thirds since 2019.
With most tech giants and AI companies planning to build more data centers to meet the demand for supercomputing power in the age of AI, there are concerns about its sustainability. However, newer technologies could address the water consumption levels.
<h3 id="virginia-data-centers-consumed-7-billion-liters-in-2023">Virginia data centers consumed 7 billion liters in 2023</h3>
According to the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/1d468bd2-6712-4cdd-ac71-21e0ace2d048" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">report</a>, data centers within Virginia consumed 7 billion liters of water in 2023. This represents almost double the 4.278 billion liters of water consumption in 2023. The surge is traceable to AI computing demands as several big tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, use data centers in the state.
However, the numbers are not much better all over the country. According to Dgtl Infra estimates, US data centers also consumed about 284 billion liters of water in 2023. The massive amount of water consumption highlights how crucial water is to the operation of data centers.
<figure id="attachment_571388" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-571388" style="width: 100%" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-571388" src="https://www.cryptopolitan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-20-210534.png" alt="AI Data Center Water Consumption" width="835" height="503" srcset="https://www.cryptopolitan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-20-210534.png 835w, https://www.cryptopolitan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-20-210534-300x181.png 300w, https://www.cryptopolitan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-20-210534-768x463.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 835px) 100vw, 835px">
 <figcaption id="caption-attachment-571388" class="wp-caption-text">
 AI Data Center Water Consumption (Source: Financial Times)
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</figure>
These facilities housing high-capacity computing machines need water for hydropower to generate energy and cool the machines. The cooling needs appear to be the most significant as these machines emit high heat from their operations.
However, the high water consumption rate is already causing droughts in some areas. Virginia reported high-impact drought and multiple dry spells in 2023. Even worse, recycling this water is not very simple as most of the water usage goes to humidity, which means it evaporates upon use.
<h3 id="tech-companies-planning-to-build-more-data-centers">Tech companies planning to build more data centers</h3>
Despite the concerns surrounding data centers and their energy consumption, big tech companies plan to construct more data centers as the AI race continues to heat up. Several established companies, including Microsoft and Amazon, have spent billions on buying land and building more data centers and are still planning to build more.
Even startups such as xAI have similar intentions. The Elon Musk-owned startup intends to build the world’s most powerful supercomputer in Memphis. The “Giga Factory of Compute” plan is already facing pushback from the local community over potential energy consumption.
<figure id="attachment_571371" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-571371" style="width: 100%" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-571371" src="https://www.cryptopolitan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-20-205654.png" alt="Water consumption" width="822" height="493" srcset="https://www.cryptopolitan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-20-205654.png 822w, https://www.cryptopolitan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-20-205654-300x180.png 300w, https://www.cryptopolitan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-20-205654-768x461.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px">
 <figcaption id="caption-attachment-571371" class="wp-caption-text">
 Google and Microsoft Water Consumption (Source: Financial Times)
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</figure>
With more data centers likely to emerge in the next years, many are raising concerns about their sustainability. Part of the concerns lies in the location of these data centers, with some in areas with water scarcity. Microsoft reported that 42% of its water consumption in 2023 came from areas with water stress, while Google reported 15%.
However, some experts believe the risk of data centers’ water usage increasing is overexaggerated. Michael Lesniak, an industrial water executive, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michaellesniak_us-tech-groups-water-consumption-soars-in-activity-7230962897865097217-3fUy/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">noted</a> that most data centers in Louden County, Virginia, use recycled sewage water that would have been dumped into the Chesapeake Bay. Companies building new data centers are also working on reducing water usage by using zero-water cooling technologies.

AI race prompts worries over data centers’ water consumption and drought impacts

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