About two-thirds of the 809 data centers planned across the U.S. are slated for land that has been in drought over the past year, an analysis from The Guardian found this week. The research claims that 517 data centers are set to be built in areas classified as drought-stricken in the last year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Integrated Drought Information System.
According to the report, data center cooling accounts for only about 4% of the additional water AI will demand by 2050, according to a January report from Xylem and Global Water Intelligence, while power generation takes roughly 54% and semiconductor fabrication about 42%. A UN University report published last week reached a similar split, putting 2025 data center electricity use at about 448 TWh.
