Amazon's data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water last year
Amazon disclosed for the first time how much water its data centers consume, reporting 2.5 billion gallons globally in 2025 at a rate of 0.12 liters per kilowatt-hour of electricity. The company says it cut water use by 2 percent at sites it owns and operates versus 2024 even while expanding, and it claims to run more water-efficiently than Microsoft, Google, and Meta. The disclosure landed days after Seattle passed a one-year data center moratorium, an effort some Amazon employees supported.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon's using a lot of water, but claims it's using it efficiently.
Amazon reported how much water its data centers used in 2025, while claiming it uses water more efficiently than Microsoft, Google, and Meta.
- Amazon finally released annual water usage data and claims it's actually more efficient than the others.
by Stevie Bonifield Jun 11, 2026, 5:26 PM UTC Link Share Gift Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Part Of All the latest updates on AI data centers see all updates Stevie Bonifield is a news writer covering all things consumer tech.
- 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.
Image: Amazon Google by far used the most; however, it appears the data cited is focused specifically on Gemini AI data centers, while Amazon is reporting on all of its operations.
- 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 released last year.
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Stats & Key Facts
- #Amazon disclosed for the first time how much water its data centers consume, reporting 2.5 billion gallons globally in 2025 at a rate of 0.12 liters per kilowatt-hour of electricity.
- #Tech AI News Amazon's data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water last year Amazon finally released annual water usage data and claims it's actually more efficient than the others.
- #With concerns about water consumption and energy use 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 2 percent from its 2024 total even as it expanded operations.
- #Amazon says that "about 90 percent of the time," its data centers use air cooling, and use evaporative water cooling on "the hottest hours of the hottest days," while also raising its servers' tolerances for heat.
Amazon's using a lot of water, but claims it's using it efficiently. Amazon reported how much water its data centers used in 2025, while claiming it uses water more efficiently than Microsoft, Google, and Meta. Tech AI News Amazon's data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water last year Amazon finally released annual water usage data and claims it's actually more efficient than the others.
Amazon finally released annual water usage data and claims it's actually more efficient than the others. by Stevie Bonifield Jun 11, 2026, 5:26 PM UTC Link Share Gift Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Part Of All the latest updates on AI data centers see all updates 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 that some of Amazon's own employees pushed for, Amazon shared how much water its data centers use, reportedly for the first time. With concerns about water consumption and energy use 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 2 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.
For more details please read the original article at The Verge AI.
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