Overview
- The United Nations University report, released Wednesday, said global data centers used about 448 TWh of electricity and 4.5 trillion liters of water in 2025 and projected roughly double energy, water, and emissions by 2030 as AI workloads grow.
- Google on Wednesday rolled out a five-part water stewardship framework that commits to net replenishment of water by 2030, annual facility-level water reporting, pursuing reclaimed water, funding local infrastructure and avoiding water-intensive cooling in stressed watersheds while pledging $17 million for U.S. projects.
- Microsoft highlighted a vertically stacked Fairwater campus that uses a closed-loop cooling system Microsoft says was filled only once during construction and will have near-zero ongoing freshwater consumption compared with typical evaporative systems.
- Cooling choices pose a local trade-off because evaporative or liquid cooling can cut energy use by about 10% versus air cooling but consumes freshwater, while air or recycled-water designs lower local water demand at the cost of higher electricity needs that can raise emissions if grids are not clean.
- Communities and regulators are increasing scrutiny with moratoria proposals and tougher permit reviews, and the U.N. urged governments to require standardized, auditable disclosures so planners can align new data centers with new clean power and watershed protections.