THE APEX TIMES
Amazon says its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water worldwide last year
The company provided a new global estimate for water use at its data centers, framing the figure against annual consumption in the Seattle metro area.
said its data centers worldwide used 2.5 billion gallons of water last year, according to a report carried by Yahoo Finance. The company also said that amount is roughly 5% of the water consumed annually by the metro Seattle area, a comparison that underscores how water intensity is becoming part of the public conversation around hyperscale computing.
While the announcement did not specify in the reported account what portion of the figure came from cooling systems versus other facility needs, it places a hard number on a resource that is often discussed in general terms. Data centers, which run servers and network equipment 24 hours a day, typically depend on cooling to manage heat generated by computing.
The disclosure comes at a time when large cloud providers and internet companies face mounting scrutiny over the environmental footprint of growth in artificial intelligence and cloud migration. In that context, water use is frequently examined alongside energy consumption, emissions, and the sourcing of power for computing infrastructure.
Amazon is also operating in a regulatory and reputational environment where local water availability can vary widely. A single global figure may mask differences by region, including how much water is required for cooling in each geography and whether facilities use evaporative systems, recirculation, or other methods that affect net water consumption.
Publicly available company research and reporting has increasingly focused on operational impacts, but the Yahoo Finance account of the claim does not indicate what document or dataset the estimate came from, nor does it detail the methodology behind the number. It also does not break out whether the figure relates to Amazon Web Services, retail and other divisions, or third-party capacity.
Sectorwide, customers are also beginning to ask vendors for more granular environmental metrics, especially for large deployments that span multiple years. Even when water data is not part of a contract, it can influence procurement decisions, data-center site selection, and discussions with municipal stakeholders about strain on local utilities.
What remains unclear from the reported statement is the time period Amazon used for “last year,” the boundaries of what it counts as “data centers,” and whether the 2.5 billion gallons reflects net water use after any reuse and discharge, or gross withdrawals from water sources. Investors and observers will likely look for a fuller explanation, including definitions and measurement approaches, in the company’s broader sustainability disclosures.
Why It Matters
- As data-center demand rises, environmental metrics including water use are likely to become part of how cloud providers are evaluated.
- Comparisons to local consumption, such as metro Seattle, can shape public and regulatory perception of resource pressure.
- Customers and partners may increasingly expect clearer measurement and reporting standards for operational sustainability claims.
- The lack of methodological detail in the initial reported statement suggests more comprehensive disclosure may be needed to assess comparability over time.
Sources
Key Facts
- Amazon said its data centers worldwide used 2.5 billion gallons of water last year.
- Amazon said the amount is about 5% of the amount metro Seattle consumes annually.
- The report was published by Yahoo Finance and attributed the disclosure to Bloomberg coverage.
- The reported account did not provide a breakdown of how the water was used (for example, cooling versus other purposes).
- The reported account did not disclose the document, location, or methodology behind the estimate.
- The statement did not include regional breakdowns of water use across Amazon’s data center footprint.
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