"We Don't Use Much Water" Was Only Half Right
At 11:52 p.m. KST on August 11, 2026, a video report from More Perfect Union, an outlet covering labor and consumer issues, spread with 180,000 views and 2,100 likes. Its core claim is this. When Big Tech companies say AI data centers "don't use much water," they usually disclose only the water consumed directly inside the facility, but the water used indirectly in producing the electricity (power plant cooling and the like) is actually 10 times the direct consumption. The report also captured scenes from the drought-stricken western U.S., where farmers are in conflict with AI companies over water.
Texas Alone Shows Big Numbers
The "10x" claim is not a figure unique to this report. Recent reporting from several independent outlets points in a similar direction.
| Item | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Texas data center water use (2026 projection) | 49.2 billion gallons | More Perfect Union |
| Texas data center water use (2030 projection) | 399 billion gallons (about 7% of the state's total water use) | More Perfect Union |
| Share of 809 planned U.S. data centers located in drought zones | About two-thirds (517) | Tom's Hardware |
| Daily water consumption of U.S. data centers (5,426 sites, as of 2021) | About 449 million gallons (163.7 billion gallons a year) | Consumer Reports |
Indirect Consumption Is the Real Variable
The key here is the distinction between "direct consumption" and "indirect consumption." The water a data center uses directly to cool servers is relatively easy to calculate and disclose. But once you add the water used for cooling at the thermal and hydroelectric power plants that generate the electricity running those servers, the common conclusion across several reports is that indirect consumption in the U.S. is more than 10 times direct consumption. The criticism is that when Big Tech says "our facilities use little water," this indirect share is often left out of the statistics.
Water Risk Is Now a Vendor Selection Criterion
Even studios that don't run AI infrastructure themselves can't treat this as someone else's problem. When choosing cloud and model vendors, the water risk of data center locations and their relationship with local communities are increasingly turning into brand issues. As a viral post claiming that "AI data center water use will drain drinking water by 2039" passed 4,000 reposts, public opinion is already reacting sensitively to this topic.
10x Water Use, Zero Peer Reviews
That said, More Perfect Union is an outlet with a clear advocacy stance for worker and consumer interests, and the "10x" calculation method in this report rests on its own analysis in the video, not on academic figures that went through peer review. Regional variation is also large. The actual ratio differs from one data center to another depending on the severity of the drought, the power generation mix (thermal versus renewable), and the cooling method. If you want to know the exact consumption of a specific facility, you will need to check disclosures from the local government or utility where that data center sits.