AI data centers use a tiny fraction of total global water, Amazon report shows

Amazon reported that its data centers withdrew about 2.5 billion gallons of water globally in 2025, a figure that seems large but is minuscule compared to the 117 trillion gallons withdrawn in the U.S. alone in 2015.

For context, U.S. lawns and landscaping consume 3.3 trillion gallons annually, California almond orchards use 1.3 trillion gallons, and golf courses use 531 billion gallons each year.

While individual data centers can strain local water supplies, the aggregate water use of major tech companies—including Google, Microsoft, and Meta—remains a small fraction of total national and global consumption.