Data centres use water mainly to remove heat from servers and to 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 as simple as eliminating water cooling: evaporative systems can save electricity in some settings, while dry or air cooling can increase power demand. The best approach weighs water, energy, emissions and local watershed conditions together.
Why do data centres use water?
Servers and other IT equipment produce heat as they operate. Facilities must remove that heat to keep equipment within operating limits, while also controlling indoor temperature and humidity. Water can be part of that heat-rejection process, especially in systems that use cooling towers, and can also be used for humidification.
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Google describes water as supporting server cooling and indoor temperature regulation in its data-centre operations overview. In a cooling-tower facility, water consumption is related to the IT and other facility heat load and to how efficiently heat is removed, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s cooling-tower management guidance. That is why a large facility or a less efficient cooling path may use more water, but size alone does not determine consumption.
Cooling designs differ. Some systems evaporate water to carry heat away; others rely more on air, mechanical chillers or direct cooling of equipment. Local climate, humidity, workload and the facility’s design all influence which option is practical. Water use also varies with site maturity and operating conditions, so one facility’s figures should not be treated as representative of all data centres.
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How is data-centre water use measured?
Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) relates water use to the energy consumed by IT equipment and is commonly expressed in litres per kilowatt-hour (L/kWh). Microsoft defines its measure as annual litres used for humidification and cooling divided by annual kilowatt-hours used to power IT equipment. The boundary matters: this facility metric does not automatically include water used upstream to generate the electricity consumed by the data centre.
Microsoft reported a global WUE of 0.27 L/kWh for FY25, covering July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. The operator says the calculation includes data centres it fully owns and controls that had been operational for 12 months at calculation time. This is Microsoft’s company-reported figure, not a harmonized industry average. Microsoft also notes that geography, humidity and ambient temperature affect WUE, and that global or regional metrics may improve as facilities reach full operating capacity. Its methodology is described on the Microsoft Datacenters efficiency page.
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WUE is useful for understanding direct facility water use relative to IT energy, but it is not a complete measure of a data centre’s total water footprint. The official operator disclosures and U.S. guidance discussed here do not establish a worldwide total that consistently includes indirect water used in electricity generation. Comparing figures therefore requires checking the reporting boundary, period, facility coverage and water sources—not just the headline ratio.
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Improve controls in existing facilities
Operators can review temperature and humidity setpoints before investing in major equipment changes. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program identifies overly restrictive temperature settings and excessive humidity control as potential sources of unnecessary chiller demand and cooling-tower water use. Adjustments must still remain within equipment and operational requirements; they are opportunities to evaluate, not guarantees of savings.
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Cooling-tower operators can also seek to maximize cycles of concentration—the concentration of dissolved minerals allowed in recirculating water before some water must be discharged as blowdown. Fewer blowdown losses can reduce water demand, but the acceptable operating point depends on water chemistry and system limits. The Department of Energy discusses this alongside temperature and humidity controls in its cooling-tower management guidance.
Choose cooling based on the site, not a universal ranking
Air-side economizing uses suitable outdoor air to help cool a facility and can offer greater water and energy reductions in cool, dry climates. Dry or air-cooled designs can avoid evaporative water use, but mechanical cooling may raise electricity demand. Conversely, evaporative or other water-cooled systems can use less energy in some settings. 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 universal engineering result.
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These trade-offs affect emissions as well as water. Higher electricity demand may increase emissions depending on the power supply, while water consumption can matter more in a stressed or unreliable watershed. A sound comparison considers direct water use, electricity demand and its emissions, local water stress and source, reliability, climate and workload together. Thermal storage is not automatically a water-saving alternative: the Department of Energy notes it may deliver little water reduction when it continues to rely on evaporative cooling.
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New facilities can weigh air-side or dry cooling against water-cooled designs early in planning, when the site, climate and utility infrastructure can inform the choice. 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), its measure of facility energy relative to IT energy. Microsoft says warmer chip-cooling temperatures and efficient economizing chillers are intended to mitigate that effect; this is the company’s design and expectation, not a verified outcome for every deployed site.
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Use suitable non-potable sources
Treated wastewater and captured rainwater can reduce reliance on potable supplies when local infrastructure, water quality and treatment requirements make them suitable. Google says it has used 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 reports a reuse partnership in Quincy, Washington: it says the 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 annually for community drinking-water needs. Those project figures are Microsoft’s claims in its 2025 Environmental Sustainability Report, not general outcomes for reuse projects.
Rainwater capture and municipal reuse also depend on appropriate treatment and local systems. Replenishment projects can support water availability, but replenishing water is not the same as reducing a facility’s direct withdrawal or consumption. Operators need to assess the source and its reliability as well as the cooling system itself.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should a facility compare before changing its cooling approach?
- Direct water use: Measure the facility’s water boundary and identify whether it includes cooling, humidification or other uses.
- Electricity and emissions: Estimate how the option changes cooling energy, and consider the emissions associated with the local power supply.
- Watershed conditions: Account for local water stress, supply reliability and whether the source is potable, reclaimed or captured water.
- Operating fit: Check climate, humidity, heat load, workload, water chemistry, equipment limits and treatment infrastructure.
- Reporting scope: When comparing WUE figures, align the reporting period, facility coverage and calculation boundary.
No single cooling method is the universal winner. The meaningful objective is to reduce water impacts without overlooking energy and emissions, and to choose controls, equipment and water sources that fit the particular site.
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