Majority of US AI datacenters to be built on drought-hit land, analysis finds
10 reported
A Guardian analysis has found that about two-thirds of upcoming US datacenters, which require large amounts of water to operate, are set to be built in locations that have been among the driest in the country over the past year. Of 809 planned datacenters, 517 are in areas that have experienced drought conditions throughout the past year, according to data from Cleanview and the federal government. More than 60% of the contiguous US is currently at varying stages of drought, the largest expanse for spring in modern records. The analysis notes that overall, multiplying datacenters across the US are set to demand as much as 73 billion gallons of water a year by 2028, up from about 17 billion gallons in 2023. Researchers have estimated that each 100-word AI prompt uses roughly one 500ml bottle of water due to cooling needs. Companies such as Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon are pouring billions into new datacenters, often drawn to dry, sparsely populated areas due to lower land costs and tax breaks. The article reports that concerns over water use and rising energy bills have stirred local opposition, causing some developments to be curtailed or canceled, and that some states are considering new restrictions on datacenter water use.
What’s reported
About two-thirds of upcoming datacenters are set to be built in drought-ridden locations.
Of 809 planned datacenters, 517 are in locations that have been in drought conditions throughout the past year.
More than 60% of the contiguous US is currently at varying stages of drought, the largest expanse for spring in modern records.
Overall datacenter water demand is set to reach as much as 73 billion gallons a year by 2028, up from about 17 billion gallons in 2023.
Each 100-word AI prompt uses roughly one 500ml bottle of water due to cooling needs, researchers have estimated.
Companies such as Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon are pouring billions into new datacenters.
One of the world’s largest datacenters, twice the size of Manhattan, was approved in a Utah county deep in drought since summer last year.
Datacenters could account for 9% of Texas’s total water use by 2040, researchers calculated.
Some states are considering bills to require water use reports or closed-loop cooling systems; New York has plans for an outright moratorium on datacenters.
A group opposing the Utah datacenter is aiming to overturn its approval via a public referendum.
Key figures
Christopher Dalbom, expert in water resources law at Tulane University
Andrew Coppin, chief executive of Ranchbot
Dan Diorio, vice-president of state policy at the Data Center Coalition
Albert Cho, chief strategy officer at Xylem
Kevin O’Leary, Canadian businessman and supporter of Trump
Ben Abbott, ecologist at Brigham Young University and executive director of Grow the Flow
Sources: The Guardian
