By bizn_fun 
However, not all data centres consume water at the same rate.
Some use water evaporation to dissipate the heat, which works well but is thirsty.
A small data centre using this type of cooling can use around 25.5 million, external litres of water per year.
Other data centres, like those owned by Ascenty, use a closed-loop system, which circulates water through chillers.
Meanwhile, Microsoft told the BBC it operates three data centres in Querétaro. They use direct outdoor air for cooling approximately 95% of the year, requiring zero water.
It said for the remaining 5% of the year, when ambient temperatures exceed 29.4°C, they use evaporative cooling.
For the fiscal year 2025, its Querétaro sites used 40 million litres of water, it added.
That’s still a lot of water. And if you look at overall consumption at the biggest data centre owners then the numbers are huge.
For example, in its 2025 sustainability report, external Google stated that its total water consumption increased by 28% to 8.1bn gallons between 2023 to 2024.
The report also said that 72% of the freshwater it used came from sources at “low risk of water depletion or scarcity”.
In addition, data centres also indirectly consume water, as water is needed to produce electricity.