Amazon says its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2025
Amazon disclosed annual water-use figures as AI data center construction faces scrutiny over local water and power demands.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
Amazon said its data center operations consumed 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2025, putting a new figure on a resource issue now central to fights over AI infrastructure. The disclosure comes shortly after Seattle approved a one-year pause on new data centers, a measure The Verge reported had support from some Amazon employees.
According to Amazon, its global data center operations used water at a rate of 0.12 liters for each kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed in 2025. The company said that rate represented a 2 percent decline from 2024 even as its operations grew.
Latitude Media reported that the figures mark the first time Amazon has released annual water-use data for its data centers. The timing is notable because public debate over new AI data centers has increasingly focused on how much water and electricity the facilities require, according to The Verge.
Amazon also presented its performance as better than several large technology rivals. In materials cited by The Verge, Amazon compared its water use per kilowatt-hour with data from Microsoft, Google and Meta, saying those companies used more water by that measure in recent years.
The comparison has limits. The Verge reported that Google appeared to show the largest water use in the chart, but said the data Amazon cited seemed to focus on Gemini AI data centers, while Amazon’s own figure covered all of its data center operations.
Amazon’s accounting also does not include every water-related impact tied to its data centers. The Verge reported that Amazon’s figures exclude indirect water use at power plants that generate electricity for the facilities, as well as water associated with construction of new data centers.
Amazon said its cooling strategy reduces its dependence on water. The company said its data centers rely on air cooling about 90 percent of the time and switch to evaporative water cooling during the hottest periods on the hottest days.
The company also said it has increased how much heat its servers can tolerate. Amazon said that change is part of its effort to reduce water use while keeping facilities running.
Amazon claimed its data centers are seven times more water-efficient than the industry average. The company said that claim is based on an adjusted figure from a peer-reviewed research paper released last year.
The disclosure adds Amazon to a broader accounting battle over the environmental footprint of cloud computing and AI systems. As companies build more data centers, the way they measure water use — including what they leave out — is becoming as important as the topline number they report.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.