Texas AI centers guzzle 463 million gallons, now residents are asked to cut back on showers

Time of India

7 days ago

Texas AI data centers water usage
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Amid the ongoing worsening drought condition in Texas, the State's residents face an unexpected water dilemma: while communities are urged to conserve every drop, even cutting back on simple showers, massive new AI data centers are quietly using millions of gallons daily to keep their operations running, as per a report.
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Texas AI Data Centers Use Millions of Gallons of Water Amid Severe Drought
But behind this high-tech promise lies a growing environmental concern: water consumption. According to a July 2025 investigation by The Austin Chronicle, data centers across Central Texas, including Microsoft and US Army Corps facilities in San Antonio, used a combined 463 million gallons of water in 2023 and 2024 alone, as reported by Techie + Gamers. That's enough water to meet the needs of tens of thousands of households, according to the report.
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Why Data Centers Use So Much Water
For many Texans, this feels like a painful contradiction. While drought warnings urge residents to limit water use, especially for everyday activities like showering, giant facilities essential to the tech economy are quietly drawing vast amounts of water, mostly for cooling servers that keep the data centers running 24/7, as per the Techie + Gamers report.
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Robert Mace, executive director of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University highlighted that, 'People don't think of data centers as industrial water users, but they are,' adding that, 'Once that water evaporates, it's just gone,' as quoted in the report.
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Experts Stress the Industrial Scale of Data Center Water Use
The scale of water use is massive, as the Texas Water Development Board projections estimate that data centers in the state will consume 49 billion gallons of water in 2025, soaring to nearly 400 billion gallons by 2030, as per Techie + Gamers report. That's about 7% of Texas's total projected water use, according to the report.
Margaret Cook, a water policy analyst at the Houston Advanced Research Center pointed out that, 'These centers are showing up in places that are very water-stressed," adding, "There's no requirement for them to have conversations with communities about how much water they'll use,' as quoted in the report.
Locals in the Hill Country region, where several new AI-focused centers are under construction, are raising alarms. Much of the water these centers use evaporates during cooling and can't be recycled, a critical issue in an area already grappling with scarce water resources, as reported by Techie + Gamers.
Microsoft's Sustainability Promise Faces Skepticism
While Microsoft said it's working toward sustainability goals, aiming to be 'water positive' by 2030, meaning it plans to replenish more water than it consumes, as per the report. The company highlights water restoration projects and the use of recycled water when possible, according to Techie + Gamers.
However, critics worry these efforts often happen far from the communities facing water shortages, limiting their impact.
Cook said, 'You have to question what 'water positive' means when you're building massive projects in places already dealing with water scarcity,' as quoted in the report.
Transparency is another problem. Some water utilities learn about new data centers only after construction is underway, and companies sometimes operate under shell entities or code names, reducing community awareness and input, as reported by Techie + Gamers.
This issue isn't just about the future, it's happening now, with drought conditions already severe across many parts of Texas, the expansion of AI infrastructure is testing how communities balance technological progress with environmental sustainability, as per Techie + Gamers.
FAQs
Why are Texas AI data centers using so much water?
They use water mainly to cool the servers that run around the clock, which is essential to keep the data centers operating safely.
Can the water used by data centers be recycled?
Some water is recycled, but a large portion evaporates during cooling and is lost forever.