Liquid Death and Garage Beer launch satirical campaign targeting AI data center water use

Liquid Death and Garage Beer have launched a satirical marketing campaign featuring former NFL player Jason Kelce that mockingly calls on Americans to collect their urine to cool AI data centers. The campaign, titled “We Want Your Pee,” uses bathroom humor to highlight the massive water consumption required by the growing number of AI data centers.

While the advertisement is a comedic stunt, experts note that the underlying issue of water scarcity is significant. AI data centers can consume up to five million gallons of water per day. Although the ad’s premise of using urine is impractical due to mineral buildup and scaling issues, the industry already relies heavily on recycled wastewater. In Loudoun County, Virginia, recycled water accounts for approximately 43% of the total water used by local data centers.

Industry leaders suggest that the expansion of AI infrastructure could drive investment in water treatment facilities. For example, Meta has committed $270 million to wastewater infrastructure near its data centers. However, the primary bottleneck remains the time and cost required to build the necessary sewage and treatment infrastructure to support large-scale water recycling in rural or underserved areas.