Study Finds 25% of Data Centers in Water-Stressed Areas
A Stanford-led analysis of 9,347 facilities worldwide finds many operate where local water supply falls short of demand.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Data Centers
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A Stanford-led study published in Environmental Science & Technology found that at least 25 percent of the world's data centers operate in areas with water supply shortfalls. The analysis covered a database of 9,347 data centers worldwide.
Why it matters
Data centers can compete with local communities for limited energy and water supplies, and the rapid expansion of facilities to support the AI boom has already triggered public backlash in the United States and Europe. The findings add a measurable dimension to that debate.
The analysis used 50-by-50-kilometer map pixels and hydrologic measurements from 2001 to 2010, with a supercomputer determining supply and demand in each pixel containing data centers. Because operators have not disclosed their cooling designs or capacity, the study cannot say how much of the local water demand is attributable to the facilities themselves.
The players
Stanford University
A private research university in California whose researchers led the study on data center water stress.
University of California, Santa Barbara
A public research university whose outside expert commented on the study's findings.
The details
The researchers overlaid data center locations with estimates of water supply and demand for communities, agriculture, and industry. They also projected that at 3 degrees Celsius of warming, one-third of existing data centers would be in areas with water shortfalls for at least one month each year.
Timeline
Hydrologic measurement data used in the study covers 2001 to 2010.
Study findings were reported publicly on November 9, 2026.
The Tech Race
The rapid buildout of AI-driven data centers in the United States and Europe has prompted local pushback over energy and water use. This study supplies the first global, facility-level measure of how many of those sites sit in water-stressed regions.
Residents near data center sites may see competition over local water and electricity supplies shape the debate over new construction. Communities weighing new facilities can use the study's location-based approach to ask how a proposed site would draw on regional water resources.
The takeaway
Water stress is a site-specific question, so the location of a data center matters as much as its size. Readers following local data center proposals can ask operators about their cooling designs and water sourcing before construction moves ahead.
Further reading
For more on how these facilities are being built and where, see our Data Centers coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Washington Post.
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Do you think data centers are straining the water supply in your area?
