AI data centres could use as much water as 1.3 billion people by 2030: UN report

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving a surge in the construction of large-scale data centres worldwide, raising concerns about their growing demand for water and electricity.

A new report by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) warns that by 2030, the water footprint associated with AI-powered data centres could reach levels equivalent to the annual domestic water needs of 1.3 billion people.

Data centres rely heavily on water-intensive cooling systems to prevent servers from overheating, particularly in warmer climates. This has sparked growing debate over their environmental impact, especially in regions already facing water shortages.

According to the report, the water footprint linked to the projected electricity consumption of data centres in 2030 could reach 9.3 trillion litres – enough to meet the minimum yearly household water requirements of the entire population of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The report also projects that global data centres will consume 945 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually by 2030, more than double current levels and nearly three times the combined annual electricity consumption of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Data centres consumed an estimated 448 TWh of electricity in 2025 alone. If considered a country, the sector would rank as the world's 11th-largest electricity consumer, the report noted.

The energy consumed by data centres in 2025 was enough to supply the annual residential electricity needs of the entire population of Sub-Saharan Africa, 1.3 billion people, for 2.6 years, the report said.

The findings underscore growing concerns over the environmental costs of AI as demand for computing power continues to rise globally.