Amazon reported that its global data centers consumed 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2025, a 2% drop from 2024, amid growing concerns over water and energy use for AI infrastructure. The company claims higher efficiency than some rivals like Microsoft, Google, and Meta.
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<p class="has-text-align-none">Just after Seattle enacted a one-year <a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/948031/seattle-officially-enacted-an-emergency-one-year-moratorium-on-new-data-centers">data center moratorium</a> that some of Amazon's own employees pushed for, Amazon <a href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/sustainability/amazon-data-center-water-usage">shared</a> how much water its data centers use, <a href="https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/amazon-finally-reports-its-annual-water-use-at-data-centers/">reportedly</a> for the first time. With concerns about <a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/845831/ai-chips-data-center-power-water">water consumption and energy use</a> a focus of new AI data center construction debates, Amazon says its global data center operations consumed 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2025 at a rate of 0.12 liters per kilowatt-hour of electricity, dropping by two percent from its 2024 total even as it expanded operations. </p>
<p class="has-text-align-none">Amazon also claims it's using water more efficiently than some Big Tech rivals - this graphic in Amazon's report points to M …</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/948534/amazon-data-centers-water-use">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
# Amazon’s data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water last year
Source: [https://www.theverge.com/tech/948534/amazon-data-centers-water-use](https://www.theverge.com/tech/948534/amazon-data-centers-water-use)
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Stevie Bonifield
is a news writer covering all things consumer tech\. Stevie started out at Laptop Mag writing news and reviews on hardware, gaming, and AI\.
Just after Seattle enacted a one\-year[data center moratorium](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/948031/seattle-officially-enacted-an-emergency-one-year-moratorium-on-new-data-centers)that some of Amazon’s own employees pushed for, Amazon[shared](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/sustainability/amazon-data-center-water-usage)how much water its data centers use,[reportedly](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/amazon-finally-reports-its-annual-water-use-at-data-centers/)for the first time\. With concerns about[water consumption and energy use](https://www.theverge.com/news/845831/ai-chips-data-center-power-water)a focus of new AI data center construction debates, Amazon says its global data center operations consumed 2\.5 billion gallons of water in 2025 at a rate of 0\.12 liters per kilowatt\-hour of electricity, dropping by two percent from its 2024 total even as it expanded operations\.
Amazon also claims it’s using water more efficiently than some Big Tech rivals — this graphic in Amazon’s report points to Microsoft, Google, and Meta data showing each using more water per kilowatt\-hour than Amazon did over the past few years\.
[](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/amazon-data-center-water-use-chart.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100)
Image: Amazon
Google by far used the most; however, it appears the data cited is focused specifically on Gemini AI datacenters, while Amazon is reporting on all of its operations\. However, Amazon’s data doesn’t factor in indirect water usage at the power plants providing electricity for its data centers, or things like water use from new data center construction\.
Amazon says that “about 90 percent of the time” its data centers use air cooling, and uses evaporative water cooling on “the hottest hours of the hottest days,” while also raising its servers’ tolerances for heat\. Amazon claims its data centers are seven times more water\-efficient than the industry average, based on an adjusted number from a[peer\-reviewed research paper](https://www.theverge.com/news/845831/ai-chips-data-center-power-water)released last year\.
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- Stevie Bonifield
While AI data centers' water use is negligible globally, they can significantly strain local water supplies in specific regions, prompting tech companies like Amazon and Google to improve efficiency and fund water replenishment projects.
Jeff Bezos argues that AI data centers should be prioritized for water and energy resources over human consumption to enable the development of superintelligence, sparking controversy over AI's environmental impact.
Tech giants including Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and Google are adopting different strategies to address data center water consumption, with some moving away from evaporative cooling entirely while Google takes a more nuanced, site-specific approach backed by hydrological assessments and water replenishment pledges.
Data center operators are grappling with water scarcity issues, with tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI pledging to reduce water consumption through alternative cooling methods and water replenishment initiatives.
Google outlines five water stewardship commitments for its data centers, including a goal to replenish more water than it uses by 2030, in response to growing public opposition to the environmental impact of AI infrastructure.