Data centers are increasing demand for water and electricity
The article explains the different types of data centers and how the growth of artificial intelligence is increasing demand for electricity and water. It cites research estimating that U.S. data centers consumed 176 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2023, while most of their water impact is associated with electricity generation rather than onsite cooling.
KTTC outlines the major types of data centers, including cloud, enterprise, colocation, hyperscale and edge facilities, as AI-driven demand brings more large-scale projects into public discussion. The article explains that hyperscale facilities supporting AI workloads can contain hundreds of thousands of GPUs and require substantial infrastructure.
Citing Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and other research, the report says U.S. data centers used about 176 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2023, or roughly 4.4% of national consumption, with demand rising further in 2025. It also describes water impacts from direct cooling, electricity generation and wastewater treatment, estimating that about 75% of data center-related water use occurs through power generation and 25% onsite.