The internet runs incredibly hot.
To stop millions of servers from melting down, tech companies have to cool them. They use water.
Amazon just revealed exactly how much it takes. Its 900 global data centers consumed 2.5 billion gallons of water in a single year. That is the equivalent of 3,800 Olympic swimming pools.
The company actually managed to drop its water use by two percent from 2024 through better cooling tech. But the sheer volume is starting to cause friction locally.
In towns where these massive facilities go up, residents are reporting sudden drops in water pressure and unexplainable spikes in their utility bills. Utah just passed the first state law forcing new data centers to publicly disclose their exact water drain before they build.
Computing power for cloud storage and artificial intelligence is surging. The servers are only getting hotter. Right now, only 14 percent of Americans say they would tolerate a data center being built in their zip code.
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