Amazon Says Data Centers Are 7x More Water-Efficient Than Industry Average as AI Demand Raises Resource Scrutiny

Amazon reported global data center water use of 0.12 liters per kilowatt-hour in 2025, compared with an industry average of 0.84 L/kWh.
The company says it is 75% of the way toward its goal of becoming water positive by 2030.
Amazon has announced more than 50 water replenishment projects expected to return over 22 billion liters annually once fully implemented.

Amazon sharpens focus on data center water use

Amazon is moving to position water efficiency as a core measure of data center performance, as cloud computing and artificial intelligence increase pressure on energy grids, land use, and local water systems.

The company said its global data center operations used 0.12 liters of water per kilowatt-hour in 2025. That is more than seven times better than the industry average of 0.84 L/kWh. The figure is a closely watched metric for operators because it links water use directly to compute output.

Amazon said the result follows years of investment in custom cooling technology, smarter control systems, and operating practices designed to limit water use. The company also reported a 52% improvement in water efficiency since 2021.

The disclosure comes as data centers face closer scrutiny from regulators, utilities, and communities. Digital infrastructure is now central to banking, healthcare, education, commerce, and AI. Yet its rapid growth is forcing companies to defend how they manage natural resources.

“Data centers enable everything from video calls to virtual medical visits and education to online banking,” says Joern Tinnemeyer, a data center engineering leader at Amazon. “To deliver that computing reliably, we need to maintain optimal temperatures. My team focuses on thermal management—taking the heat generated as a byproduct of computing operations and removing it as effectively and as efficiently as possible.”

Cooling strategy reduces water use most of the year

Amazon said its data centers use “free air cooling” about 90% of the time. That means outside air is pulled into the facility, passed across servers to absorb heat, and then released back outside. No water is used in that process.

“It’s kind of like in your house,” Tinnemeyer says. “It’s a nice summer morning. It’s not that hot out. I’m gonna open up my windows rather than turn the air conditioner on, and just let the breeze pull through.”

Water is used during the hottest hours and hottest days, particularly in warmer regions. Amazon relies on evaporative cooling in those periods. The process sprays water onto an absorbent medium, which Amazon water specialist Beau Schilz describes as “a sophisticated, giant sponge.”

Hot air moves through the water-soaked material. As the water evaporates, it draws heat from the air and can reduce temperatures by five to 10 degrees.

“It’s like sweating,” Schilz explains. “The evaporative process pulls the heat off of your body so you don’t overheat.”

Amazon said some operators use chillers that function like large air conditioners. The company argues that evaporative cooling can carry a lower total impact in peak heat conditions. Chillers can require 25% to 35% more electricity. That demand often comes when households and businesses are also drawing power for cooling.

For executives, the trade-off is increasingly material. Data center operators must balance water risk, grid pressure, permitting, and local community expectations. The governance question is no longer whether compute can scale. It is whether it can scale without creating new environmental liabilities.

Water positive target moves into execution phase

Amazon has committed to becoming water positive by 2030. That means it aims to return more water to communities than it uses in data center operations. The company said it is now about 75% of the way toward that goal.

In 2025, Amazon withdrew about 9.5 billion liters of water across its global data center footprint. At sites it owns and operates directly, total water withdrawals fell 2% from 2024 to 2025. That decline came even as the company added more buildings globally.

The company said it returned three liters for every four liters used in 2025. It has also announced more than 50 water projects expected to return more than 22 billion liters each year once fully implemented.

Amazon is using reclaimed water across more buildings than any other major cloud provider, according to the company. Reclaimed water refers to water that would otherwise be wasted or unusable. In many locations, that requires new local infrastructure, not just corporate procurement.

Europe projects show local water strategy

In Europe, Amazon is investing in replenishment projects that reflect local water risks. In northeastern Spain, the company worked with environmental consultancy Mediodes on a pipeline that moves runoff from upstream fields to a poplar grove in Pina de Ebro. The project reduces the need to draw irrigation water from the Ebro River.

In Germany, Amazon has launched urban leak detection initiatives and wetland restoration projects. In Sweden, it broke ground on a wetland project outside Katrineholm. That project is designed to reduce flooding risk, improve water quality in nearby lakes, and support biodiversity.

In the UK, Amazon is working with The Rivers Trust in the Thames River basin on natural flood management and water replenishment. In Italy, it is working with Aganova to cut water losses using AI-powered acoustic leak detection.

Those projects show how data center water strategy is becoming more local, technical, and politically visible. For investors, the relevance extends beyond operational efficiency. Water stewardship now affects site selection, permitting timelines, social license, and ESG credibility.

Amazon’s figures place water efficiency inside the wider debate over digital infrastructure. AI and cloud demand are growing fast. The companies that secure long-term growth will need to prove they can reduce resource intensity while supporting local resilience. That standard is likely to shape data center strategy well beyond 2030.