AI's hidden water footprint may have reached 765 billion litres in 2025 — consumed in data-centre cooling and the power plants supplying them. That's more than twice the volume of bottled water the entire world buys in a year.

Recent reporting highlights a significant increase in the water consumption required to sustain artificial intelligence infrastructure. According to Silicon Canals, AI's hidden water footprint may have reached 765 billion litres in 2025. This massive volume of water is consumed specifically for cooling data centers and supporting the power plants that supply them with energy. To put this scale into perspective, the coverage notes that this amount is more than twice the total volume of bottled water purchased by the entire world in a single year. Various regional outlets are tracking the localized impact of this trend. Yahoo reports that in Texas and New Mexico, AI data centers may be consuming ten times more water than Big Tech companies have officially stated.

Meanwhile, the Fresno Bee is examining whether these facilities will soak up the remaining water available in the valley. Other coverage focuses on different geographic regions, with WALB providing details on what residents in South Georgia need to know regarding the water usage of local data centers. Beyond the volume of consumption, the environmental quality of local resources is under scrutiny. Coverage from bgr.com raises critical questions regarding whether data centers are polluting local groundwater. This suggests a dual concern for the industry: the sheer quantity of water being extracted for cooling and the potential for these facilities to contaminate the water sources they rely upon. The tension between technological growth and environmental sustainability is particularly acute in areas already facing water scarcity.

Future developments will likely center on the discrepancy between corporate disclosures and actual usage. The reports from Texas and New Mexico suggest a gap in transparency from Big Tech regarding their environmental impact. Observers are watching to see how data centers in South Georgia and the valley mentioned by the Fresno Bee manage their resources. Whether groundwater pollution becomes a verified systemic issue or remains a point of inquiry will be a key factor in the ongoing assessment of AI's physical infrastructure.