U.S. Data Center Water Consumption Has Tripled
As AI demand drives infrastructure growth, annual water use surged to 66 billion liters in 2023.
Updated on Sept. 26, 2026 in Data Centers
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Data center water consumption in the United States rose to 66 billion liters in 2023, up from 21.2 billion liters in 2014. As AI companies accelerate facility construction, public concern regarding environmental impacts and development oversight has intensified.
Why it matters
The rapid expansion of hyperscale infrastructure is straining local resources, prompting calls for stricter development oversight. This development highlights the tension between rising computing demands and community concerns over environmental footprints.
U.S. data centers consumed 66 billion liters of water in 2023, a significant increase from 21.2 billion liters in 2014. Hyperscale facilities are projected to consume between 60 billion and 124 billion liters annually by 2028.
The players
Donald Trump
The current President of the United States who has proposed renaming artificial intelligence to Super Intelligence.
Marjorie Taylor Greene
A United States representative who has challenged the focus on renaming AI, citing community concerns over data center operations.
Xi Jinping
The President of China who was cited as a supporter of renaming artificial intelligence to Super Intelligence.
The details
Operators are managing increased thermal loads through a mix of air cooling, water-based evaporative cooling, and emerging waterless technologies. While water-based systems utilize evaporation to dissipate heat from hardware, closed-loop systems recirculate fluids to minimize external intake. As AI training requirements drive density, facilities must balance these cooling efficiencies against the constant noise and resource demands of high-performance computing clusters.
Timeline
2014: Data center water usage was recorded at 21.2 billion liters.
2023: Total annual water consumption reached 66 billion liters.
September 2026: Political debate emerged regarding AI development and data center concerns.
2028: Annual water consumption by hyperscale facilities is projected to reach up to 124 billion liters.
The Tech Race
This story aligns with the Reuters/Ipsos polling on public AI sentiment, reflecting the broader 73% of U.S. adults who fear catastrophic outcomes and the 55% who support slowing development. The race to scale infrastructure is now colliding with public and political pressure for regulatory intervention.
Residents in areas near large-scale server farms face immediate concerns regarding utility demand and ambient noise. Future environmental impact will depend on how quickly operators transition to waterless cooling and local zoning adjustments.
The takeaway
The trajectory of AI scaling suggests continued growth in resource demand through 2028. Readers should monitor upcoming Department of Justice policy discussions regarding potential oversight of large-scale AI infrastructure deployments.
Further reading
For more background on infrastructure trends, visit the Data Centers section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Benzinga.
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Do you believe the environmental impact of new AI data centers is acceptable for your community?
