Last year, Google (GOOGL) said it was no longer on track to meet its climate goals by the end of the decade. The company’s environmental report for 2024 showed its carbon emissions have risen by 48% since 2019 — mostly due to energy consumption by data centers and supply chain emissions.
Still, the tech giant plans to invest in building even more data centers to meet the demands for its artificial intelligence tools.
Data centers need water to maintain cooler temperatures since servers generate a lot of heat. Most of that water is circulated in a closed-loop system, meaning data centers don’t actually “consume” all the water — but some is still lost due to evaporation.
According to its environmental report, Google’s data centers around the world consumed a total of 6.1 billion gallons of potable water in 2023. Google calculated that its data centers used as much water as 40.7 golf courses — based on data from the average annual irrigation of golf courses in the southwestern U.S.
Here is where Google’s top 10 water consumers are located.
Google’s data center in Leesburg, Virginia, consumed 173.2 million gallons of water in 2023 — about as much as 1.2 golf courses.
Google’s data center in Eemshaven, Netherlands, consumed 232 million gallons of water in 2023 — as much as 1.5 golf courses. The report noted that the data center also used non-potable industrial water from North Water.
Google’s data center near Saint-Ghislaine, Belgium, consumed 244.2 million gallons of water in 2023 — as much as 1.6 golf courses. The report noted that the data center also used non-potable water from the Nimy-Blaton-Peronnes shipping canal that was treated on-site.
Google’s data center in Montgomery County, Tennessee, consumed 288.6 million gallons of water in 2023 — as much as 1.9 golf courses.
Google’s data center in The Dalles, Oregon, consumed 302.4 million gallons of water in 2023 — as much as two golf courses.
Google’s data center in Lenoir, North Carolina, consumed 336.8 million gallons of water in 2023 — as much as 2.2 golf courses.
Google’s data center in Douglas County, Georgia, consumed 345.6 million gallons of water in 2023 — as much as 2.3 golf courses. The report noted that the data center also used treated wastewater from the Sweetwater Creek Sidestream Reuse Facility.
Google’s data center in Berkeley County, South Carolina, consumed 763.4 million gallons of water in 2023 — as much as 5.1 golf courses.
Google’s data center in Mayes County, Oklahoma, consumed 815.1 million gallons of water in 2023 — as much as 5.4 golf courses.
Google’s data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, consumed 980.1 million gallons of water in 2023 — as much as 6.5 golf courses.
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