Jun 11, 2026 | Posted by Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji
Amazon said its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2025. Water withdrawals at facilities it owns and operates fell 2% from 2024 despite an increase in the number of data centers, while the company did not disclose water use at leased sites. AWS owned about 28.4 million square feet of data center and office space and leased a similar amount in 2025.
Amazon said its data centers used 0.12 liters of water per kilowatt-hour in 2025, which it claimed was seven times more efficient than the industry average. However, its comparison chart measured all Amazon facilities against AI-focused data centers operated by Google. The figures exclude indirect water use from electricity generation and construction. Amazon also said its facilities rely on free-air cooling about 90% of the time, but unlike Google and Meta, it did not disclose water usage for individual sites.
Amazon said it operates 26 facilities using 100% reclaimed water and is about 75% of the way toward its goal of becoming water positive by 2030, though it did not disclose how much of its total water use comes from reclaimed sources. The disclosure comes as scrutiny of data center water consumption intensifies amid the AI boom.
