Data centers use electricity to run servers, storage and networking equipment, and to keep that equipment powered and cool. Water use is chiefly tied to cooling at sites that use evaporation; there can also be an indirect water footprint from generating the electricity a facility consumes. To compare impacts fairly, separate those accounting boundaries, name the location and year, and look at total use as well as efficiency ratios.
What do data centers use electricity and water for?
A data center’s electricity use has two broad parts: the energy used by information technology (IT) equipment and the energy used by facility infrastructure that supports it. The IT load includes servers doing computation, storage systems, and networking equipment moving data. Facility overhead includes cooling and losses in power distribution.
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The split varies with the site and how its equipment is operated. In a modeled U.S. estimate, the Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (DOE/LBNL) put facility infrastructure at 31% of data-center electricity in 2024, down from 36% in 2018. Networking accounted for 4.5% in 2024. These are U.S. estimates, not a universal breakdown for every data center. DOE/LBNL, United States Data Center Energy Usage Report: 2025 Update
Cooling uses electricity and, in some systems, water
Cooling removes heat produced by IT equipment. Some cooling designs use evaporative heat rejection: water evaporates to carry heat away, so the system needs makeup water. Cooling towers may also discharge blowdown to control the concentration of dissolved minerals. The balance of water and electricity use depends on cooling design, local climate and operating conditions. DOE Federal Energy Management Program, Cooling Water Efficiency Opportunities for Federal Data Centers
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Cooling’s share of electricity is not fixed. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that it can range from about 7% in efficient hyperscale data centers to more than 30% in less-efficient enterprise data centers. That comparison describes a range across types of facilities, not a prediction for an individual site. IEA, Energy and AI: Energy demand from AI
Water has direct and indirect boundaries
On-site water use is often associated with cooling, particularly where evaporative systems are used. A second boundary counts water consumed in generating the electricity supplied to a data center. LBNL distinguishes these as direct or site water and indirect or source water. They are different quantities: a total that counts only water at the facility cannot be compared directly with one that also includes water used in electricity generation. LBNL, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
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Electricity-related water use varies with the power supply, while on-site water consequences depend on the cooling system and local conditions. A national or global average therefore cannot establish the water impact of a particular data center. The available official figures cited here do not establish a single current global water total suitable for an unqualified comparison.
How much electricity do data centers use?
For scale, the IEA estimates that data centers worldwide used 415 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2024, about 1.5% of global electricity use. This is a global estimate for a specific year. IEA, Energy and AI: Energy demand from AI
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For the United States, the 2025 DOE/LBNL update gives a modeled central estimate that data centers could consume 11.8% of U.S. electricity by 2030. Its scenario range is 9.5% to 15.3%. These are projections, not measured 2030 outcomes. DOE, Powering America’s AI Future—Data Center Resource Hub
An earlier DOE/LBNL report estimated U.S. data centers used 176 TWh, or about 4.4% of U.S. electricity, in 2023. That 2024 report projected 325–580 TWh by 2028; the projection is historical and has been superseded for current U.S. forecasting by the 2025 update. DOE, DOE Releases New Report Evaluating Increase in Electricity Demand from Data Centers, December 20, 2024
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The global 2024 estimate and U.S. forecasts cover different geographies and periods. They should not be read as directly comparable values or treated as parts of a single trend without aligning their boundaries and dates.
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Start by asking what the figure counts. A data-center claim may describe IT equipment alone, the full facility, on-site water, or water associated with electricity generation. Before comparing two figures, check that they use compatible boundaries, geography and reporting years.
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Read efficiency ratios alongside total use
- PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) compares total facility energy with energy used by IT equipment. It indicates how much energy the facility uses beyond the IT load; it does not state the facility’s total electricity consumption on its own.
- WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness) compares water consumption with IT electricity and is commonly reported in liters per kilowatt-hour. Check whether a WUE figure counts direct/site water, indirect/source water, or another stated boundary.
PUE and WUE are efficiency indicators, not substitutes for absolute electricity and water totals. A ratio alone also cannot show whether water use puts pressure on a particular local supply. For a useful comparison, pair each ratio with the amount consumed and the period measured.
Check cooling, climate and electricity supply
Cooling arrangements—including evaporative cooling, air-side economizing and direct liquid cooling—affect the facility’s electricity and water balance. Outdoor conditions affect how systems operate. The electricity supply matters too, because the water consumed to generate electricity varies by location and generation mix. A meaningful site-level comparison therefore needs more than a national average or an efficiency score.
Separate observed estimates from forecasts
Record who produced a number, what year it covers, whether it is an estimate or a scenario forecast, and whether it describes one country or the world. For instance, the IEA’s 415 TWh figure is a global 2024 estimate, while DOE/LBNL’s 11.8% figure is a modeled U.S. scenario for 2030. Keeping those labels attached prevents unlike numbers from being mistaken for competing measurements.
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