Report on Data Center Water Consumption and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals
The expansion of digital infrastructure, particularly data centers, presents significant challenges to global environmental sustainability. The United Nations has established a clear link between water resources and climate change, an issue exacerbated by water-intensive industries. This report analyzes the water consumption of data centers through the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a primary focus on SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
Primary Areas of Water Consumption in Data Center Operations
Data center water consumption is categorized into direct and indirect uses, both of which have substantial implications for achieving the SDGs.
Direct Water Use: Cooling and Humidification Systems
The majority of direct water consumption in data centers is for onsite operational needs, primarily for cooling and humidification. This practice directly impacts local water availability, a core concern of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).
- Cooling Systems: To prevent overheating of power-intensive IT equipment, many facilities employ water-based cooling. Mechanisms such as chillers, cooling towers, and adiabatic economizers use water evaporation to dissipate heat. While some systems recirculate water, significant loss occurs through evaporation and blowdown processes required for water quality maintenance. This continuous withdrawal can strain local water supplies, particularly in water-stressed regions, challenging the objectives of SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
- Humidification Systems: To prevent electrostatic discharge that can damage sensitive equipment, data centers maintain specific humidity levels. Humidification systems often vaporize water to add moisture to the air. This process requires regular water replacement to manage mineral buildup, contributing to overall consumption and creating a need for responsible water management in line with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
Indirect Water Use: Electricity Generation
A significant portion of a data center’s water footprint is indirect, embedded in its electricity consumption. The water intensity of power generation varies widely, making energy sourcing a critical factor for sustainable operations.
- Fossil Fuels and Hydropower: Thermoelectric power plants (e.g., coal and natural gas) consume vast amounts of water for steam generation and cooling. According to U.S. Energy Information Administration data from 2021, coal-powered plants had a water withdrawal intensity of 19,185 gallons per MWh. This high consumption undermines both SDG 6 and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) by perpetuating reliance on water-intensive energy.
- Renewable Energy: While solar and wind power have a much lower water footprint during operation, water is consumed during the manufacturing of components. A transition to these sources is crucial for advancing SDG 7 and SDG 13 (Climate Action) by reducing both carbon emissions and indirect water use.
Assessing the Scale of Water Consumption and Industry Transparency
The rapid growth of data services and AI workloads is increasing water demand across the technology sector. However, a lack of industry-wide transparency complicates efforts to accurately measure and manage this consumption, hindering progress toward SDG 12.
Reported Consumption by Major Technology Corporations
Leading technology companies have begun releasing water consumption data, though the figures reveal a steep upward trend and raise questions about accountability.
- Google: Reported a near doubling of its water consumption between 2021 (4.3 billion gallons) and 2024 (8.1 billion gallons), a period coinciding with rapid AI development. While Google reports water replenishment efforts, critics note these projects often do not occur in the same basins where water is extracted, failing to mitigate local environmental harm.
- Amazon: Commits to being “water-positive” by 2030 and reports a Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) of 0.15 L/kWh for its AWS data centers. However, investigations into proposed facilities in Spain suggest significant potential strain on local water resources, highlighting a conflict with SDG 6 and SDG 11.
- Microsoft: Reports an average WUE of 0.30 L/kWh and also commits to a “water-positive” goal by 2030. The company is deploying closed-loop cooling systems to eliminate water loss from evaporation, an innovation supporting SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). Nevertheless, local communities have expressed skepticism regarding the real-world effectiveness of these new technologies.
Challenges in Accountability and Reporting
The concept of being “water-positive” is debated, as replenishing water in one watershed does not offset the ecological impact of withdrawing it from another. Achieving SDG 12 requires transparent, standardized, and verifiable reporting. The Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) metric, which measures the ratio of water used to IT energy consumed, is a step toward this goal, but its widespread adoption and verification remain a challenge.
Strategic Recommendations for Sustainable Water Management in Alignment with SDGs
To mitigate their environmental impact, data center operators must adopt a holistic approach to water management that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Collect and Analyze Water Usage Data: Establish WUE and total water consumption as key performance indicators to enable transparent reporting and informed decision-making, supporting SDG 12.
- Adopt Circular Water Solutions: Implement closed-loop cooling systems and utilize harvested rainwater, gray water, or non-potable water (e.g., seawater) to minimize freshwater withdrawal, directly advancing SDG 6 and SDG 12.
- Invest in Innovative Cooling Technologies: Transition to alternative cooling methods like immersion or targeted cooling that reduce or eliminate water use, fostering progress on SDG 9.
- Transition to Less Water-Intensive Energy: Shift to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to reduce the indirect water footprint of operations, a critical action for SDG 7 and SDG 13.
- Strategic Facility Siting: Construct new data centers in colder climates where free air cooling is viable, reducing the cooling load and subsequent pressure on local water resources, thereby supporting SDG 11 and SDG 13.
- Participate in Legitimate Water Replenishment: Partner with local communities to invest in projects that restore and protect water basins where facilities operate, ensuring a direct positive impact that aligns with SDG 6 and SDG 11.
Future Outlook: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Water Sustainability
The proliferation of Artificial Intelligence represents the most significant future challenge to water sustainability in the technology sector. Research indicates that training a single large language model can consume hundreds of thousands of liters of water. Projections suggest that by 2027, global AI demand could require water withdrawal equivalent to more than half the annual total for the United Kingdom.
If unmanaged, this escalating demand will exacerbate water stress, threaten biodiversity, and impede progress toward SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Mitigating these risks requires urgent and concerted action, including investment in water-efficient technologies (SDG 9) and the adoption of robust circular water management principles and transparent reporting standards (SDG 12).
SDGs Addressed in the Article
- SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13: Climate Action
Identified SDG Targets
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
- Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution…
The article connects climate change to worsening water pollution and quality due to higher water temperatures. It also discusses how minerals left behind from evaporation in humidification systems can affect water quality, requiring water to be replaced. - Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity…
This is a central theme. The article extensively discusses the massive water consumption of data centers, the need to reduce it, and the strain this consumption places on local water supplies, potentially leading to water scarcity. It highlights efforts by companies like Amazon and Microsoft to improve their water usage effectiveness (WUE) and the goal of becoming “water-positive.” - Target 6.5: By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels…
The article advocates for holistic and circular water solutions, as suggested by the World Economic Forum. It also mentions companies participating in water replenishment programs in specific water basins, which aligns with integrated management principles.
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
The article points out that electricity generation is a major source of indirect water use for data centers. It contrasts the high water intensity of fossil fuels like coal with the significantly lower water consumption of wind and solar power, encouraging a transition to these more sustainable, renewable sources. - Target 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
The article links energy and water consumption directly, noting that “AI integration and evolution lead to more energy use, which leads to more water consumption.” The metric of Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) is defined as a ratio of water to energy consumption (L/kWh), making energy efficiency a key component of improving water sustainability.
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies…
The article details numerous ways to make data center infrastructure more sustainable. This includes replacing legacy systems with modern, efficient cooling technologies; adopting alternative methods like closed-loop, immersion, or targeted cooling; and building new facilities in colder climates to reduce cooling needs.
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
The entire article is focused on the massive consumption of water, a key natural resource, by the data center industry. It calls for reducing consumption, reusing water through closed-loop systems, and exploring alternative water sources like seawater to manage this resource more sustainably. - Target 12.6: Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.
The article highlights the “lack of transparency across the industry” regarding water consumption. It discusses the environmental reports and water usage statistics released by tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, while also noting skepticism about their figures and calling for all companies to “share their water consumption figures” to create industry baselines and new sustainability goals.
SDG 13: Climate Action
- Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
The article opens by stating that “water and climate change are strongly linked,” noting that climate change impacts water supplies through melting glaciers and worsens water quality. It warns that unchecked data center growth will exacerbate the impacts of climate change, such as “water depletion and biodiversity loss.”
Implied or Mentioned Indicators
For Target 6.4 (Increase water-use efficiency and address water scarcity)
- Indicator 6.4.1 (Change in water-use efficiency over time): The article explicitly defines and uses the Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) metric, measured in liters per kilowatt-hour (L/kWh). It provides specific WUE values for Amazon (0.15 L/kWh), Microsoft (average 0.30 L/kWh), and different Microsoft data centers (Arizona at 1.52 L/kWh vs. Singapore at 0.02 L/kWh), demonstrating how this indicator is used to track efficiency.
- Indicator 6.4.2 (Level of water stress): This is implied through reporting on total water consumption volumes and their local impact. Examples include Google’s consumption of 8.1 billion gallons in 2024, projections that global AI demand could require 4.2 to 6.6 billion cubic meters of water by 2027, and the finding that Amazon’s proposed data centers in Spain could use water equivalent to irrigating 200 hectares of corn, highlighting the strain on local freshwater resources.
For Target 7.2 (Increase share of renewable energy)
- Indicator (Water intensity of electricity generation): While not a formal SDG indicator, the article provides a clear metric to measure progress toward this target in the context of water savings. It cites U.S. Energy Information Administration data: “coal-powered plants had an average water withdrawal intensity of 19,185 gallons per megawatt-hour (MWh), while natural gas averaged 2,803 gallons per MWh.” This allows for measuring the water-saving benefits of shifting energy sources.
For Target 12.6 (Encourage companies to report on sustainability)
- Indicator 12.6.1 (Number of companies publishing sustainability reports): The article’s analysis centers on the public disclosures of Google, Amazon, and Microsoft through their environmental and sustainability reports. It explicitly criticizes that “many companies do not publish or collect the requisite data,” framing the act of publishing these reports as a key measure of corporate responsibility and transparency.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | 6.4: Substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals to address water scarcity. |
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| SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. |
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| SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency. |
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| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | 12.6: Encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle. |
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| SDG 13: Climate Action | 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards. |
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Source: techtarget.com
