OPINION: Data center water use not sustainable in increasingly dry American West

The Colorado River basin, vital for 40 million people across seven states, is experiencing a severe water shortage after years of failed interstate negotiations and negligent water management. Federal officials are currently tasked with deciding how to divide the river's ever-shrinking flow. Against this backdrop of critical water scarcity, the article highlights hyperscale data centers as an emerging and significant threat to the region's precious water resources. The piece frames data center water usage as unsustainable, particularly in the context of the increasingly dry American West.