Amazon is expanding its use of recycled water to cool data centers, implementing the system in over 120 locations by 2030.
On June 9, Amazon announced its plan to scale its use of previously used and treated water. The company uses recycled water for its direct evaporative cooling systems in Virginia and California. The new expansion will introduce these systems to Mississippi, Georgia, and more Virginia locations.
The recycled water system helped Amazon save as much as 85% of water. The company expects to preserve over 530 million gallons yearly without sacrificing data server operations.
According to a 2022 NPR article, the average data center uses 300,000 gallons of water daily. That's as much water as roughly 1,000 U.S. households use a day. The UN reports that more than two billion people suffer from water insecurity. That number will likely increase, so mitigating water waste is urgent.
The plan will reduce water scarcity in communities near data centers and worldwide. Fresh water is essential to human survival, providing drinking water and crop irrigation to support the food supply. Recycling water for data centers means more clean water for communities across the globe.
As of 2024, Amazon has reached 53% of its goal to be water positive by 2030. This means replenishing more water than it consumes. While Amazon is progressing, there's still a long way to go.
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Amazon has a considerable environmental impact, but it's trying to be greener. Last year, it announced it would reduce plastic packaging. It's also steadily growing its fleet of electric delivery vehicles.
Despite these efforts, the company is still a massive contributor to pollution, especially regarding data center operations. Amazon also backed out of a promise to make shipments greener in 2019. So it's hard to know what is greenwashing — meaning a company painting itself as environmentally conscious when it's not — and what is genuine.
Will Hewes, water sustainability lead at Amazon, said, "At Amazon, we aim to be a good water steward everywhere we operate."
Kevin Miller, vice president of global data centers for AWS, said, "We are deeply committed to being good members of our communities, and doubling down on preserving freshwater resources is one of the ways we can demonstrate that. … By significantly expanding our recycled-water infrastructure, we're aiming to advance technological innovation while still prioritizing environmental stewardship."
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Hopefully, Amazon will stand by its commitment to water replenishment, and other major companies using data servers will follow its lead.
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