Water usage by AI data centers raises supply concerns

(NewsNation) — As the demand for artificial intelligence accelerates, data centers are consuming vast amounts of freshwater, raising concerns over potential strains on water supplies across the United States.

When AI is given a prompt, massive server hubs consume enormous amounts of energy to respond, causing the machines to heat up. To cool down those servers, many data centers use fresh water, which then evaporates.

According to new research from Purdue University, the average data center uses 300,000 gallons of water daily — enough to supply 1,000 homes — and two-thirds of new data centers are built in water-scarce regions, such as Arizona and Texas.

The Houston Advanced Research Center has estimated that data centers in the Lone Star State will use 46 billion gallons of water this year alone and nearly 400 billion gallons by 2030. That’s about 7% of the total water used in the entire state.

A spokesperson for the Data Center Coalition said these concerns are being addressed.

“The data center industry prioritizes efficient water practices and responsible management,” they said in a statement to the Chicago Sun Times, adding that “data centers are also actively investing in and deploying innovations, such as waterless cooling systems, closed-loop systems and the use of recycled or reclaimed water.”

In Illinois, more than 200 data centers have been built or are in development, an alarming trend according to a Great Lakes advocacy group based in Chicago.

“We’re on a collision course for competing water uses here in the Great Lakes region. So even though we are surrounded by this abundance, lots of folks are looking to tap into that abundance,” said Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of Alliance for the Great Lakes. “And it’s critical we get a handle on where we’re headed with this water use before parts of the industry make those decisions for us.”