Overview
- The peer‑reviewed, three‑year study projects annual water withdrawals of 731–1,125 million cubic meters by decade’s end, equal to the household use of roughly 6–10 million Americans.
- Researchers translate the projected emissions to the equivalent of adding about 5–10 million cars to U.S. roadways each year.
- The paper maps mitigation levers, finding that smarter siting, cleaner power and operational improvements together could cut emissions by about 73% and water use by about 86%.
- State‑level modeling highlights benefits in Midwest and wind‑belt locations with stronger renewables and lower water stress, contrasting with strained hubs such as northern Virginia and water‑scarce western sites.
- Local pushback is already reshaping projects, with Data Center Watch tracking roughly $64 billion in developments stalled, and even high‑renewables scenarios leave residual emissions that require additional clean capacity.