Amazon Discloses 2.5 Billion Gallon Annual Water Use for Data Centers
Amazon revealed its global data centers consumed 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2023, marking its first public disclosure of such figures amid rising concerns over AI's environmental impact. Despite a 2% decrease from the prior year, the company claims improved efficiency compared to some rivals, while acknowledging indirect water usage is not included.
Key points
- Amazon's global data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2023, a figure disclosed for the first time.
- The company reported this water consumption rate of 0.12 liters per kilowatt-hour of electricity.
- Amazon stated its water usage decreased by 2% from 2024, even as operations expanded.
- The tech giant claims greater water efficiency than some competitors like Google, Microsoft, and Meta, though reporting methodologies may differ.
- The disclosed figures do not account for indirect water usage from electricity generation or data center construction.
Amazon has publicly disclosed its water consumption for the first time, reporting that its global data center operations utilized 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2023. This revelation comes at a time when the environmental impact, particularly water usage, of data centers, especially those powering AI, is under increasing scrutiny.
The company stated that its water consumption rate was 0.12 liters per kilowatt-hour of electricity. Despite expanding its operations, Amazon claims this figure represents a 2% reduction compared to 2024. Amazon also asserted that its data centers are more water-efficient than those of rivals such as Google, Microsoft, and Meta, citing comparative data, though differences in reporting scope, such as Google's focus on Gemini AI data centers, are noted.
However, Amazon's disclosure does not encompass indirect water usage, including consumption at power plants that supply electricity to its facilities or water used during the construction of new data centers. The company mentioned that approximately 90% of the time, its data centers rely on air cooling, employing evaporative water cooling only during peak heat conditions to mitigate usage.
Sources
The WireByte editorial team synthesises technology news from multiple primary sources, verifies the facts, and links every source. Articles are produced with AI assistance and reviewed under our editorial policy.