Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 1 hr ago
One in four data centers are in water-stressed areas
Researchers mapped 9,347 data centers worldwide and found that about one in four is in an area where water demand exceeds supply for at least one month a year.
Data centers use water mainly to cool servers, and many rely on local freshwater supplies.
About 2,315 facilities are already in water-stressed areas, according to the study.
Their water use can overlap with the needs of nearby towns and farms: 41% of sites are in areas where municipal use is the main water demand, while agriculture is the main demand near another 28%.
A modeled 3°C of global warming could push the share to one in three, affecting about 730 more facilities.
The researchers say water use by data centers is not reported as consistently as their electricity use, making the effects harder to track.
They point to using treated wastewater or seawater and improving cooling as possible ways to reduce freshwater use.
A global study found that 2,315 of 9,347 identified data centers are in areas where water demand exceeds supply for at least one month a year.
The researchers estimate that the share could rise from 25% to 33% under a scenario of 3°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels.
Water use near 41% of the facilities is dominated by municipal demand, while agriculture is the main water user near another 28%.
The study’s authors say data centers’ local water demands can affect cities and farms that rely on the same supplies.
The researchers say better reporting and use of wastewater or treated seawater could help address the issue.
- Who
- Researchers from Stanford University and the Carnegie Institution for Science, with colleagues, mapped the facilities.
- What
- The study found that about 25% of mapped data centers are in water-stressed areas. It projects the share could reach 33% under a 3°C warming scenario.
- When
- The articles were published on October 20 and 21, 2026. The study’s warming scenario could occur between 2035 and 2073, according to Earth.com.
- Where
- The study covered 9,347 operational data centers worldwide.
- Why
- The researchers mapped the facilities to assess their exposure to water stress and the water demands in the areas around them.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
About 2,315 of the 9,347 mapped data centers are in areas with at least one month of water stress per year.
The researchers project that 3,045 current data center locations would be in water-stressed regions, including 730 additional facilities.
Earth.com reports that the 3°C warming scenario could occur anywhere within this period.
- Data centers mapped
- 9,347
- Facilities in water-stressed areas now
- 2,315, or about 25%
- Projected share under 3°C warming
- 33%, or 3,045 facilities
- Municipal water demand dominant nearby
- 41% of data centers
- Agriculture dominant nearby
- 28% of data centers
2 sources
What people are saying
These facilities are not landing in empty landscapes. They are landing on top of the water supply of cities and farms.
The energy footprint of data centers has been quantified in detail because electricity is metered and reported. Water scarcity is measured locally, inconsistently, and often not at all. So, we built the map because it did not exist.