Amazon says its data centers consumed 2.5 billion gallons of water worldwide last year, in what it describes as its first disclosure of that figure. The company reports the amount across its global data center operations. Bloomberg and Quartz note that the volume is roughly equivalent to about 5% of the annual water used by the metro Seattle area.
The Verge reports the disclosure comes amid rising scrutiny of the environmental impact of data centers, including for AI-related infrastructure. It also ties the timing to local policy and public debate: Seattle has enacted a one-year moratorium on new data center approvals, which some Amazon employees reportedly pushed for, according to The Verge.
Together, the coverage emphasizes that the announcement adds a specific water-use figure to broader discussions about energy consumption, water demand, and environmental trade-offs as major technology companies expand data center capacity. The reports characterize the disclosure as new information rather than a change in operations, with Amazon presenting the numbers as part of increasing transparency.
