ChatGPT is making headlines for the enormous amount of water it uses, but water consumption in the tech industry has been an issue long before before the AI chatbot’s November 2022 debut.
Microsoft and Google reported a 34% and 21% spike in water consumption, respectively, in 2022 compared with 2021. The main culprit? Data centers and the water used to keep their temperatures in check.
“In 2022, total water consumption at our data centers and offices was 5.6 billion gallons-the equivalent of what it takes to irrigate 37 golf courses annually, on average, in the southwestern United States,” says Google’s 2023 sustainability report. Meta’s annual report notes that its operational data centers are responsible for the highest percentage of its water use.