Amazon strategised about keeping water use secret

Nature of data‑center water use

• Multiple commenters explain most large data centers use evaporative cooling (similar to power plants), which consumes water by turning it into water vapor rather than returning it as liquid.
• Others note some sites use closed-loop or hybrid systems (dry coolers, thermosyphon, chilled water) that reduce evaporation but increase electricity use.
• There is confusion over whether water is truly “used”: technically it returns to the environment, but in arid places raising humidity by a tiny amount is effectively removing scarce freshwater from local use.

Scale and comparisons to other water users

• Many argue data-center water use is tiny versus agriculture (often cited as ~70% of freshwater use) and even versus golf courses; several specific numbers are given showing Amazon’s projected 7.7B gallons/year is negligible in national terms.
• Others push back that this is a fallacy of relative privation: when water is scarce, all non-essential or luxury uses—data centers, almonds, beef, golf—are fair targets.
• Debate over whether AI/data-center growth (potentially 100×) could make today’s “small” usage a future problem.

Local scarcity, aquifers, and siting

• Commenters stress that aggregate numbers miss local impacts: pumping from aquifers in deserts or water‑poor towns can lower water tables, dry up wells, and change water quality (more sediment, salt intrusion).
• Several examples are cited (U.S., Mexico) where industrial users or data centers have strained local supplies or triggered political conflict.
• Some note that siting near abundant surface water or wet climates—and tracking “water use effectiveness” including power generation—matters more than global totals.

Transparency, PR, and green marketing

• Some see secrecy as competitive (water ≈ power ≈ compute) while others think it’s mainly to avoid a PR disaster.
• There is broader criticism of “eco-friendly” advertising and ESG posturing driven by investors, contrasted with behind-the-scenes lobbying for cheap water and tax breaks.
• A few view the media focus on water as manufactured scare‑mongering that conveniently distracts from more serious issues like energy use and AI ethics.

Alternatives and mitigation

• Suggestions include moving to zero‑water or low‑water cooling, hybrid wet/dry systems, using waste heat for district heating, and preferring regions where water is plentiful.
• Others note thermodynamic limits: low chip temperatures make electricity recovery inefficient; any move away from evaporative cooling trades water for higher energy demand.