Innovative data centers utilize new cooling systems that eliminate or drastically reduce the need for
ongoing water consumption.

• Data center company QTS has a water-free cooling system being implemented across all its new data centers.
• Similarly, Microsoft announced a “new datacenter design that optimizes AI workloads and consumes zero water for cooling.”
• In Iowa, data center company Edged opened a facility that uses a waterless cooling system.
• Companies like Skybox Datacenters utilize closed-loop cooling systems that only require a one-time initial fill – roughly the same volume of water as a residential swimming pool – to operate indefinitely.

The statistical reality of data center water use is remarkably small compared to other sectors. Data centers represent only about 0.04% of U.S. water consumption for both onsite and off-site consumption (off-site coming from power generation). Data centers’ on-site use is only 0.008% of U.S. consumption.

• Including off-site consumption, the water consumption from data centers is equivalent to 3% of the water consumed by America’s golf industry per year. That means golf courses use 32 times more water a year than data centers.

If data centers’ water usage tripled from today’s levels, they would still use an incredibly small amount when compared to other industries. That number is roughly equivalent to:

• 8% of the water currently consumed by the US golf industry.
• The water usage of 260 square miles of corn farms, equivalent to increasing America’s corn
  production by 1.4%.

Data Center developments invest real dollars into localities and their public water systems.

• In Tucson, Arizona, Project Blue is investing $100 million into Tucson Water’s reclaimed water system, marking “the largest public infrastructure project funded by a private developer in Tucson’s history.”
• In Lebanon, Indiana, Meta’s data center project “will make investments of more than $120 million, toward critical water infrastructure in Lebanon, as well as other public infrastructure
  improvements including roads, transmission lines and utility upgrades.”
• In Leesburg, Virginia, Microsoft “is funding more than $25 million of water and sewer
  improvements.”
• In Kuna, Idaho, Meta invested “$70 million to build a water and wastewater treatment system that has been given to the City of Kuna to own and operate.”