The Wall Street Journal reported on July 3 that the volume of water consumed by AI data centers may be far greater than what major tech companies publicly disclose. Only Meta reports both direct and indirect water use, while Microsoft, Google and Amazon mainly disclose only the direct water use of their data centers.
July 3, 2026 · AI & Environment
The Hidden Water Bill of AI Data Centers
Tech giants report the water their servers drink, but not the far larger amount evaporated by the power plants feeding them. Only Meta discloses the full picture — and indirect use can dwarf what's on the books.
~12×
Indirect (power-plant) water use vs. direct on-site use for US data centers
20%+
Share of all Phoenix water that data centers could demand by 2031
170+
Local moratoriums reportedly blocking new construction
Meta's real total: direct is the tip of the iceberg
Meta is the only firm reporting both. Its indirect (power) water use tops 20× its direct (cooling) use — the part rivals mostly leave undisclosed.
0.8 bn gal
Direct
19 bn gal · 20×+
Indirect
What each company actually discloses
Meta
Direct 813M gal (2023) + indirect 19bn gal (2024)
Full total reported
Google
Direct 10.9bn gal (2025, +34%); indirect only estimated ~3× direct
Indirect estimated
Amazon
Direct ~2.5bn gal (2025, just disclosed); indirect mostly undisclosed
Direct only
Microsoft
On-site direct use only; closed-loop cooling planned from 2027
Direct only
Companies' defense
"Water positive" goals — returning more than consumed
Amazon: 7× more efficient than industry average
Meta: replenished 1.6bn gallons in 2024
Nvidia closed-loop cooling claims zero added water
Researchers' critique
Indirect use carries no legal disclosure requirement
RECs seen as insufficient to cover power-side water
Direct-only comparisons called "misleading"
New builds cluster in water-stressed regions
The bottom line
Closed-loop cooling can cut added water use, but it's costly and hard to retrofit. With the AI boom driving construction into dry regions, the real fight is over standardized reporting — and making indirect water use visible.
Continue reading The rest of this article is for AI News Blitz readers. Choose an option below to keep reading.
Already purchased? Sign in ✓ Signed in — this article isn’t included in your current plan.Unlocking the full article…