A new report from Amazon reveals that its data centers used around 2.5 billion gallons of water globally in 2025, which sounds like a lot but pales in comparison to the 117 trillion gallons withdrawn in the US alone in 2015. If you’re wondering about other tech giants, Google’s data centers used over 6.1 billion gallons in the same year.

While individual data centers can indeed strain local water supplies, collectively they still represent a minor fraction of overall water usage. For instance, US lawns and landscaping guzzle an estimated 3.3 trillion gallons annually, while California almond orchards use about 1.3 trillion gallons per year. Golf courses alone consume around 531 billion gallons.

Despite these numbers, the data center sector’s water footprint has grown with AI’s rapid advancement. A 2021 Nature study estimated that US data centers combined consumed approximately 163 billion gallons in 2021, with Texas alone using as much as 49 billion gallons by 2030.

So next time you hear about the water usage of AI data centers, remember: it’s like a sprinkle compared to your garden hose. And that’s a relief for those concerned about global water scarcity!