Amazon Reveals 2.5 Billion Gallons of 2025 Data Center Water Use as Seattle Halts New Sites
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Jun 11
Amazon Reveals 2.5 Billion Gallons of 2025 Data Center Water Use as Seattle Halts New Sites
3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Jun 11
Summary
Amazon said its global data centers consumed 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2025, its first disclosed annual total, after Seattle approved a one-year moratorium on new data centers.
At 0.12 liters per kilowatt-hour, Amazon said water use fell 2% from 2024 even as operations expanded, helped by air cooling about 90% of the time and evaporative cooling only in the hottest periods.
Amazon used the disclosure to argue it outperforms rivals, saying its fleet is seven times more water-efficient than the industry average and citing higher water-per-kilowatt-hour figures from Microsoft, Google and Meta.
The comparison has limits: Amazon reported all data center operations, while the Google figures cited appear focused on Gemini AI facilities, and Amazon excluded indirect water use from power generation and new construction.
The release lands as AI data center growth faces intensifying scrutiny over water and energy demand, with last year's total equal to about 5% of metro Seattle's annual water consumption.