I Investigated the Hidden Cost of AI. One Data Centre Can Use as Much Water as 10,000 People

Parched earth, a woman drinking water and London’s skyline illustrate drought and growing concerns around AI water use.

It’s an image Brits have gotten used to this summer: our once “green and pleasant land” reduced to a crisp, arid vista. The verdant grass of England’s parks and commons scorched yellow and brown after weeks of heat and barely any rain.

The Evening Standard recently posted a carousel of photographs showing the impact of England’s exceptionally dry summer on London. I left a fairly flippant comment underneath: “But by all means, build a massive data centre in east London.”