560billion litres
Water consumed by the world's data centres
World · per year, in 2023 · water consumed, direct and indirect · IEA
!These are all data centres, not AI alone; about 1,200 billion litres in 2030 in the IEA base case.
Definition and scope
Water consumed in 2023 by data centres worldwide, on site for cooling, and indirectly through the production of their electricity and the manufacturing of chips, according to the IEA.
✓What is included
- ✓Water evaporated on site
- ✓Water consumed by the production of the centres' electricity
- ✓Water consumed by chip manufacturing
✕What is excluded
- ✕Water withdrawn then returned to the environment
How the value is obtained
IEA estimate based on the electricity consumption of the centres, their cooling technologies and the water of the power plants that supply them.
Limits and uncertainties
- A global average: water stress plays out basin by basin.
- The share of AI is not isolated.
The order of magnitude
All figures560 billion litres on a water scale, with another reference figure and 3 values from the linked chart, brought to the same unit. Each tick multiplies by 10.
In context
See the chart and its dataThe water of a question, from 0.26 to 50 mL depending on scope
Water attributed to a written question to an AI, in millilitres (logarithmic scale)
2023 to 2025
A factor of about 190 separates the lowest, 0.26 mL (Google), from the highest, 50 mL (UC Riverside): it stems from scope and task, not from a calculation error.
AI Impactby Projet Celsius
