"There's so many articles that are just misinformed. And it's just not true. There's a very common misconception that there's many, many hours of the year, if not all hours of the year, we're using water, and that's just not true. A million gallons, it sounds like a lot of water. But to put it in context, a golf course is going to use about seven to eight times that."
"Back in 2014, data centers used up to 21.2 billion liters [5.6 billion gallons] of water, with most being internal data centers at 64%, according to an Energy Department report. In 2023, total water use increased to 66 billion liters [17.4 billion gallons]. Now, hyperscale and colocation centers (or owned and shared infrastructure) are the big water users at 84%."
AI companies including Amazon, Microsoft, and OpenAI struggle with public trust and perception issues. Amazon recently hosted an editorial exchange event in Seattle to address misconceptions about its environmental practices, particularly regarding water and energy consumption. Company executives pushed back against critical media coverage, arguing that reports misrepresent data center water usage. AWS officials highlighted that facilities use water only a fraction of the year and emphasized conservation efforts through engineering optimization and replenishment projects. Data shows water consumption by data centers increased significantly from 5.6 billion gallons in 2014 to 17.4 billion gallons in 2023, with hyperscale and colocation centers now accounting for 84% of usage.
#ai-trust-and-reputation-management #data-center-environmental-impact #corporate-communications-strategy #water-consumption-and-sustainability
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