Your Digital Life Has a Hidden Water Footprint: The Surprising Truth About Data Centres

Every time you ask ChatGPT a question, stream a movie on Netflix, join a Zoom meeting or simply scroll through social media, you are relying on a network of data centres working tirelessly behind the scenes.

These facilities power our increasingly digital lives, enabling everything from cloud storage and online banking to artificial intelligence (AI) and e-commerce.

Much has been said about the staggering amount of electricity these digital powerhouses consume.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centres consumed approximately 485 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in a single year—about 1.5% of global electricity demand.

With artificial intelligence (AI) programs, cloud storage, cryptocurrency mining and overall digital dependencies accelerating the need for computing power, this figure is only expected to rise.

However, there’s another side to this story that often goes unnoticed: water.

While data centres do not use water to process data, they depend heavily on it to keep thousands of heat-generating servers cool.

As new hyperscale data centres emerge across the globe, water consumption is quietly becoming one of the industry’s biggest sustainability challenges.

Why Do Data Centres Need So Much Water?

Modern data centres house hundreds of thousands of servers operating around the clock.

As these servers process billions of digital requests every day, they generate enormous amounts of heat. Without efficient cooling, equipment could overheat, malfunction, or even fail.

Unlike manufacturing facilities, where water may be part of the production process, water at data centres is primarily used for cooling.

In fact, cooling systems account for a significant portion of a facility’s operational resources, making water an indispensable component of digital infrastructure.

Several cooling technologies are currently in use, each with its own advantages and environmental trade-offs.

Evaporative cooling, the most common method in large facilities, uses water to absorb and dissipate heat efficiently. While this approach consumes less electricity, it evaporates large quantities of water.

Closed-loop cooling systems continuously recirculate water through sealed pipes, significantly reducing water consumption but requiring more complex infrastructure.

Meanwhile, air cooling systems depend little or not at all on water but demand more electricity to power compressors and fans.

Emerging technologies such as direct liquid cooling and immersion cooling are proving even more efficient, especially for AI workloads, by cooling servers directly at the chip level.

Today, an estimated 75% to 90% of data centres rely primarily on water-based cooling systems, with only a small percentage using entirely water-free alternatives.

That means everyday online activities contribute to this hidden water footprint. A single AI query is estimated to consume more than 1 litre of fresh water. 

Streaming an hour of high-definition video can consume up to 10 litres of water, depending on the underlying infrastructure.

Individually, these numbers may appear insignificant. Collectively, however, billions of digital interactions every day translate into enormous water demand.

Medium-sized facilities can consume more than a million litres of water every day, while the largest hyperscale campuses may require the water needs of an entire town.

Achieving the right balance is becoming increasingly important as sustainability moves to the forefront of digital infrastructure planning.

Water Challenges Behind the Digital Boom

The rapid expansion of data centres is placing increasing pressure on local water resources.

Most data centres are connected directly to municipal water systems or groundwater supplies, meaning that a significant portion of their cooling water is sourced from potable water that could otherwise serve households and communities.

Heavy groundwater extraction can lower aquifer levels, reducing drinking water availability and affecting nearby ecosystems.

Facilities that withdraw water directly from rivers or lakes may alter streamflow during periods of drought, placing additional pressure on agricultural users and local communities.

Even facilities that use little water on-site still rely on electricity generated by power plants, many of which themselves consume substantial amounts of water for cooling.

In other words, reducing direct water use does not always eliminate a data centre’s overall water footprint.

Building More Sustainable Data Centres

The good news is that the industry is actively seeking solutions to reduce the need for water at data centres

Many operators are moving away from drinking-quality water by using treated municipal wastewater, harvested rainwater or nearby surface water for cooling.

Google’s data centre in the Netherlands, for example, uses canal water instead of potable water, reducing pressure on local drinking water supplies.

At the same time, advanced cooling technologies such as closed-loop systems, immersion cooling and direct liquid cooling are significantly improving water efficiency.

These innovations demonstrate that digital growth and responsible water stewardship do not have to be mutually exclusive.

What Does the Future Hold?

Artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital services will continue to reshape how we live and work.

Consequently, demand for energy and water at data centres is expected to grow rapidly over the coming decade.

The International Energy Agency projects that electricity consumption from data centres could double by 2030, while AI-focused facilities may see their power demand triple.

To meet these growing requirements sustainably, operators are increasingly investing in renewable energy, battery storage, advanced cooling systems and next-generation infrastructure.

Ultimately, the success of tomorrow’s digital economy will depend not only on technological innovation but also on how responsibly it manages the natural resources that support it.

Ensuring that future data centres are designed with both energy and water efficiency in mind will require collaboration between technology companies, policymakers, utilities and local communities.

After all, our digital future should be measured not only by the intelligence of our technologies, but also by how sustainably we power and cool them.