AI data centers' water use is modest globally, but can strain local supplies—and Big Tech is working to offset the impact.

What happened: While data centers account for only 8 percent of total water consumption in the Potomac River Basin region today, the Interstate Commission estimates that figure could climb to 29 percent by 2050 if the concentration of data centers in northern Virginia continues. A single Meta data center in Newton County, Georgia, uses about 10 percent of the entire county's water supply.

Why it matters: Data centers' concentrated water use can severely strain local infrastructure and water supplies, even though overall consumption remains small. A 2025 Business Insider report found that 40 percent of planned and existing data centers in the US are in areas with 'high' or 'extremely high' water scarcity, as measured by the World Resources Institute—making geography crucial to evaluating the real burden.

What to watch: Major tech companies are funding water-offset projects to manage their environmental footprint. Amazon says it's funding '50 water projects expected to return more than 5.8 billion gallons of water annually for use by local communities,' and Google has laid out 165 water stewardship projects that it says 'are expected to replenish more than 19 billion gallons of water annually by 2030.'