Global data centers' annual water consumption could rise to 644 billion liters by 2030 if no water-saving measures are taken, according to a forecast by Rystad Energy.
Moderate improvements in water usage efficiency could reduce consumption to 543 billion liters, while more active measures could bring it down to 388 billion liters, stated Le Min Khoy, global head of research in the data center and hydrogen sectors.
These figures only account for direct water use for cooling computational capacities, while water is also involved in the entire electricity supply chain, which, according to the expert, adds additional complexity.
Major operators of data centers, including AWS, Google, Microsoft, and Meta, have committed to using water more efficiently.
All four companies aim to achieve a “water positive balance” by 2030, meaning they intend to restore water resources in greater volumes than they consume.
At the same time, Rystad estimates that 34% of data centers' water consumption will be in regions with high and extremely high water scarcity by 2030.
Among the most at-risk regions are Jamnagar and Thane in India, as well as the Reeves County in Texas.
Rystad also notes that the spread of artificial intelligence does not necessarily lead to a proportional increase in water consumption.
