New data from Global Water Intelligence reveals impact of hyperscale data center boom on onsite water consumption and unprecedented growth in water technology and infrastructure spending
OXFORD, United Kingdom, July 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New research from GWI has found that onsite water consumption for data center cooling is forecast to increase by just over 50% by 2030, despite data center capacity doubling over the same period.
The findings reflect significant efficiency gains in water use, with a shift to water-efficient cooling technologies. These technologies require higher quality water, and GWI therefore predicts that these strides in responsible water use will be supported by unprecedented double digit annual growth in water-related technology and infrastructure spending for data centers.
Hybrid air-water cooling, as well systems designed for AI workloads, where chips are in direct contact with a water-based coolant, are increasingly the norm for data centers. Additionally there is a shift to lower-quality recycled water as the sector cuts its freshwater use.
However, the extent of these efficiency gains is not globally balanced, nor are they always related to concerns of water stress. In India, for example, data center water use is set to more than double by 2030, posing major risks in a country already facing extreme water stress.
Data centers can reduce their onsite water footprint by switching to dry cooling, but this drives up energy use, leading to greater indirect water consumption from power generation. As power demand continues to surge through 2030 and beyond, water-efficient cooling will be essential to the sustainable growth of data centers.
Access the full dataset via our rich forecast data dashboard. Book a demo directly at www.gwiwaterdata.com. For general inquiries contact: sales@globalwaterintel.com.
About Global Water Intelligence
Global Water Intelligence (GWI) is the leading market intelligence and events company serving the international water industry. Over the last 25 years we have built our business around being a trusted interface between our clients and their markets, providing our customers with high-level intelligence that enables them to make the most informed strategic decisions for their business. We cover municipal markets and every industrial vertical as well as technology, finance and economics. GWI runs an advanced manufacturing conference focusing on semiconductors and data centers: www.ultrafacility.io.
CONTACT: Victor Smith
COMPANY: Global Water Intelligence
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EMAIL: sales@globalwaterintel.com
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Data Centre water use efficiency chart
Graph plotting water use efficiency over time between 2025 and 2030 demonstrating a market reduction in water usage per kWh
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