Amazon AI Data Centers Use 9 Billion Litres of Water, UN Warns AI Could Consume 600 Billion Gallons by 2030

Amazon reported that its data centres used about 9.5 billion litres (2.5 billion gallons) of water in 2025, a 2 % reduction from the previous year. The company said its water intensity was 0.12 litres per kilowatt‑hour of electricity, lower than peers such as Microsoft, Google and Meta, and that it relies on free‑air cooling rather than water‑based systems. Amazon aims to become water‑positive by 2030 and says it is roughly 75 % of the way toward that goal.

A United Nations University study projects that global AI data‑centre operations could consume up to 600 billion gallons (about 2.3 trillion litres) of water by 2030 – enough to meet the basic annual water needs of roughly 1.3 billion people in sub‑Saharan Africa. The report also forecasts AI‑related electricity demand of 945 TWh and annual CO₂ emissions of 3.99 billion tonnes, and warns that two‑thirds of new data‑centre builds are planned in arid regions, heightening pressure on scarce water resources.