09/16/2026
Data centers need water to cool some of the processors and equipment that power AI and other digital services.
People need water to live.
That sounds simple until you look at where some new data centers are being built, including regions of the United States already experiencing water stress.
Not every data center uses large amounts of freshwater, and cooling systems vary widely. But as AI and cloud computing expand, the question is becoming harder to ignore:
What happens when rapid digital growth and communities’ need for reliable freshwater depend on the same limited resources?
