AI data-center water use varies widely with facility size, computing load, climate, cooling design, and the local electricity mix. Water may be consumed directly for on-site cooling and indirectly when power plants generate the electricity used by servers.
The most useful comparisons separate water withdrawal from water consumption and report water usage effectiveness alongside energy use. Operators should also disclose seasonal demand and local watershed conditions, because the same volume can have very different consequences in a water-stressed region.