AI consumes as much water as the entire human race drinks.

The development and execution of AI requires computational processing using high-performance processors, which require large amounts of water to cool them. Alex de Vries-Gao , a data scientist at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, recently analyzed the water consumption of AI data centers.

The carbon and water footprints of data centers and what this could mean for artificial intelligence: Patterns
https://www.cell.com/patterns/fulltext/S2666-3899(25)00278-8

AI's hidden carbon and water footprint - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
https://vu.nl/en/news/2025/ai-s-hidden-carbon-and-water-footprint

Some AI companies report the power and water usage of their AI data centers. For example, Google reported in August 2025 that Gemini's power consumption per prompt was 0.24Wh, carbon dioxide emissions were 0.03g, and water consumption was 0.26ml. However, the company's reports do not take into account the water used at power plants. Therefore, this study analyzed the amount of water consumed and carbon dioxide emissions by AI by comparing reports from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and each company.

Each Gemini uses the same amount of electricity as watching television for nine seconds and five drops of water.

The analysis found that the annual water consumption of AI systems ranges from 312.5 billion liters to 764.6 billion liters, equivalent to the amount of bottled water consumed worldwide in a year.

The report also showed that the overall power consumption of AI data centers in 2025 will be approximately 23 gigawatts, with carbon dioxide emissions ranging from 32.6 million to 79.7 million tons. Given that New York's carbon dioxide emissions in 2023 were 52.2 million tons, it can be said that AI is creating an environmental impact comparable to that of the world's largest cities.

Based on the findings of this study, de Vries-Gao said, 'AI companies are not reporting details such as water consumption related to power generation. If AI is to contribute to a sustainable future, we must first clearly understand the environmental costs of AI.' He called on governments and companies to establish strict and transparent reporting requirements.

Major AI companies such as Google, OpenAI, and Meta have announced plans to build large-scale AI data centers, each with a capacity of several gigawatts, which is expected to increase carbon dioxide emissions and water consumption. Opposition to the proposed construction sites for these AI data centers has occurred, and a rally against the plans was held at the Michigan State Capitol in December 2025, attracting over 100 people.

More than 100 people gather at a rally against the construction of an AI data center - GIGAZINE