人工智慧熱潮推動了數十年來最大規模的基礎設施建設，科技公司投入數十億美元興建為AI提供算力的資料中心。這些設施對水資源產生了巨大需求：資料中心需要用水來冷卻伺服器，同時其耗電所需的發電過程也間接消耗大量水資源，而間接用水量通常遠高於直接用水量。據勞倫斯伯克利國家實驗室估計，美國資料中心在2023年直接消耗約174億加侖的水，到2028年可能增至每年740億加侖；加州大學河濱分校的研究則預測，到2030年這一數字可能達到1100億加侖，約佔美國公共供水系統年消耗量的7%。

資料中心大量用水的主要原因在於伺服器散熱需求。許多美國資料中心使用蒸發式冷卻塔，透過水的蒸發將熱量排出設施外。雖然也有乾式冷卻系統可減少用水，但其能耗更高且在高溫環境下效果不佳。再生水雖可用於冷卻，但基礎設施不足、供應量有限且成本較高，加上其含鹽量和礦物質較多，使用範圍受限。由於近三分之二的新建資料中心位於已面臨高度水資源壓力的地區，這對當地社區的用水可靠性和價格造成了顯著影響，尤其在乾旱時期問題更為嚴峻。（關鍵數字：2022）

面對水資源挑戰，各地社區和政府已開始採取行動。2024年1月至2026年5月間，美國至少有46個資料中心項目因社區反對而被推遲或取消，涉及總值約1700億美元。猶他州已立法要求開發商披露預估用水量，紐約州宣布暫時禁止新建資料中心，南內華達州則禁止新建商業建築使用蒸發式冷卻。科技公司也在努力降低用水影響，如亞馬遜承諾到2030年回饋更多水資源，輝達推出可在更高溫度下運行的AI伺服器。然而研究人員指出，透明度仍然不足，水資源使用的報告應更加標準化、強制化和持續化。

The AI boom has triggered one of the largest infrastructure expansions in decades, with tech companies pouring billions into data center construction. These facilities consume vast amounts of water both directly for cooling servers and indirectly through electricity generation. US data centers directly consumed approximately 17.4 billion gallons of water in 2023, and projections suggest this could rise to 74–110 billion gallons annually by 2028–2030. The indirect water footprint from power generation dwarfs direct consumption, adding another 211 billion gallons in 2023 alone. Despite these enormous figures, transparency remains limited, with some operators even pressuring municipalities into signing nondisclosure agreements about their water usage.

Data centers require substantial water primarily because servers generate intense heat that must be dissipated. Most US facilities rely on evaporative cooling towers during hot periods, which release heat by evaporating water into the air. Dry cooling alternatives exist but consume more energy and perform poorly in high temperatures. Recycled water use is constrained by inadequate infrastructure, limited supply, higher costs, and corrosive contaminants. The siting of data centers compounds the problem: roughly two-thirds of new facilities built or planned since 2022 are located in areas already experiencing high water stress, competing with agriculture and municipalities for increasingly scarce supplies, particularly in drought-prone western US regions dependent on sources like the Colorado River.

Communities and governments are increasingly pushing back against unchecked data center expansion. At least 46 US projects worth a collective $170 billion were delayed or canceled due to public opposition between January 2024 and May 2026. Legislative responses include Utah's disclosure requirements for projected water usage, New York's temporary construction ban, and Southern Nevada's prohibition on evaporative cooling in new commercial buildings. Tech companies have announced mitigation measures—Amazon's water replenishment pledge, Nvidia's higher-temperature cooling systems, and improved reporting from Microsoft, Google, and Meta—but researchers argue these efforts address only part of the problem. The indirect water consumption from growing electricity demand remains largely unaddressed, and experts call for standardized, mandatory, and continuous facility-level reporting to provide a complete picture of data centers' true water impact.