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Data centres use water mainly to remove heat from servers and manage indoor temperature and humidity. How much they use depends on the facility’s heat load, cooling system, climate, water source and operating choices. Reducing water use is not always impact-free: evaporative cooling can lower electricity demand, while dry or air cooling can avoid evaporation but may require more power in some settings.
Why do data centres use water?
Servers and other IT equipment generate heat. A data centre must remove that heat to keep equipment within operating limits, while also maintaining appropriate indoor temperature and humidity. Google describes water’s role as cooling servers and regulating indoor temperatures in its data-centre sustainability information.
Water is used differently across facilities. Some systems circulate water to carry heat to cooling towers, where some of it evaporates; others use air, mechanical chillers, or combinations of cooling methods. Water use therefore depends on the amount of heat that must be removed and how efficiently the site removes it. The US Department of Energy notes that, at facilities using cooling towers, consumption is related to IT and other facility heat load as well as heat-removal efficiency.
What does WUE measure?
Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) is commonly reported in litres per kilowatt-hour (L/kWh). Microsoft defines its data-centre WUE as annual litres used for humidification and cooling divided by annual kilowatt-hours used to power IT equipment. That boundary matters: it describes water used at the facility for those purposes, not all water associated with the electricity supply.
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Microsoft reported a global FY25 WUE of 0.27 L/kWh for data centres it fully owns and controls that had been operational for 12 months at calculation time. Microsoft’s fiscal year ran from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. This is an operator-reported company figure, not a harmonized industry average. Microsoft also notes that geography, humidity and ambient temperature affect WUE, and that reported global and regional metrics can improve as facilities reach full operating capacity. See Microsoft’s explanation of data-centre efficiency metrics.
A facility-level WUE does not by itself describe the whole water footprint. In particular, it does not automatically include water used upstream to generate electricity. The official disclosures cited here do not establish a complete worldwide total that includes that indirect water use.
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How can data centres reduce water use?
Adjust temperature, humidity and cooling-tower operation
For an existing facility, operating settings can be a practical place to start. The US Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program identifies overly restrictive temperature setpoints and excessive humidity control as potential drivers of greater chiller demand and cooling-tower water use. Reviewing temperature and humidity targets against equipment and operational requirements can avoid unnecessary cooling, but the appropriate settings depend on the facility.
Cooling towers can also be operated to maximize cycles of concentration—the number of times water is concentrated before it is discharged as blowdown. Higher cycles can reduce blowdown and water demand, but the permissible level depends on water chemistry and system limits; it is not a setting to raise without operational checks. DOE guidance on these operating measures is available through its cooling-tower management guidance.
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Use air-side economizing or dry cooling where conditions support it
Air-side economizing uses suitable outdoor air to help cool a facility, reducing reliance on mechanical cooling. DOE says it can offer greater water and energy reduction potential in cool, dry climates. Air-side or dry cooling can avoid water evaporated for cooling, but it is not a universal best choice: local climate, workload and resulting electricity demand affect the outcome.
Water-cooled systems can use less energy in some settings, partly because evaporation is an effective way to reject heat. Google estimates that water cooling can reduce data-centre energy use by approximately 10% compared with air cooling in many places. That is Google’s stated estimate, not a guaranteed result for every system or site; see its 2026 water stewardship announcement.
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Match new cooling designs to site conditions
For new facilities, the cooling architecture can avoid or reduce evaporative water use, but designers must consider the electricity required as well as direct water consumption. Microsoft says its next-generation design uses chip-level cooling and air-cooled chillers to avoid water evaporation for cooling. The company also acknowledges that replacing evaporative systems with mechanical cooling can increase power usage effectiveness (PUE), a measure of total facility energy relative to IT energy. It expects warmer chip-cooling temperatures and efficient economizing chillers to mitigate that effect. This describes Microsoft’s design and expectation, not a verified outcome for every deployed site.
Thermal storage can shift when cooling equipment runs, but DOE cautions that it may not save much water if the system continues to rely on evaporative cooling. A design decision should therefore be evaluated against direct water consumption, electricity demand and associated emissions, local water stress, reliability, climate and workload—not water use alone.
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Use reclaimed water or captured rain where feasible
Treated wastewater and collected rainwater can reduce reliance on potable supplies, provided local infrastructure can deliver water with quality appropriate to the cooling system. Microsoft reports that its Quincy, Washington, partnership with the local municipality’s Quincy Water Reuse Utility recycles cooling water, cuts Microsoft’s potable-water use in the region by 97%, and supplies 1.5 million cubic metres of water annually for community drinking-water needs. These are company-reported project figures in Microsoft’s 2025 Environmental Sustainability Report.
Google says it uses treated wastewater for cooling at a Georgia campus and screens watershed conditions for new sites, choosing air cooling or recycled water when source waters are at high risk. Microsoft also reports rainwater collection and municipal water-reuse examples. Reuse depends on treatment and local water infrastructure. Water replenishment projects can benefit a watershed, but replenishing water is not the same as reducing a facility’s direct withdrawal or consumption.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare water-reduction choices
No single cooling method wins everywhere. A useful site-level comparison weighs these factors together:
- Direct water consumption: distinguish water evaporated or otherwise consumed from water withdrawn and returned.
- Electricity and emissions: compare cooling energy needs and the emissions associated with the electricity supply.
- Local water conditions: account for watershed stress, source reliability and whether water is potable, reclaimed or captured rainwater.
- Climate and workload: consider ambient conditions, heat load and how demand changes over time.
- Operational reliability: confirm that a proposed water source or cooling method can meet the site’s quality, capacity and system constraints.
Google and Microsoft disclosures are useful evidence of their own reported metrics, designs and projects, while DOE guidance describes operational opportunities. Company-reported results are not independent audits or a common industry-wide dataset, so they should not be treated as directly comparable without matching definitions and reporting boundaries.
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