Many new AI data centers will be built on US drought-hit areas — raising questions over water and power supply

AWS data center.

• 517 out of 809 planned US data centers currently located in locations under the influence of a drought for the past year
• US regulators are taking note of direct data center cooling needs, but might be overlooking power generation and fabrication costs
• The issue is fast becoming political for many Americans, 70% of whom do not want to live next to a data center

The United States might be in the grip of a record-shattering drought, but AI data center builders and their proponents seem unfazed for now.