Re:AI uses less water than the public thinks
by jrflo on Friday May 01, 2026 @03:30PM
(#47979131)
A pretty easy 'optional' comparison would be golf course watering. I saw a much more detailed write up on this that I can't find now, but a quick google shows 500 billion gallons a year for US golf courses and 180 billion gallons a year for all data centers, not just AI data centers.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Possibly one of these, shared to HN in the past year:
https://www.construction-physics.com/p/how-does-the-us-use-w...
https://www.construction-physics.com/p/i-was-wrong-about-dat...
The problem with these numbers though is water isn't really lost in those processes and has another dynamic: you can't really bank it. There's tons of ecosystems where the biggest problem is we have to ensure a certain amount of water goes through them to keep them alive.
And so in that context all water usage is not equal: watering a golf course where run off goes back to local estuaries is different to evaporative cooling is different to industrial or residential usage.
agreed, you could also argue that runoff from golf courses needs to be processed which costs energy, versus total evap cooling where the water immediately re enters the water cycle in the form of vapor. It's not an easy comparison, but it does put it in context.
Re:AI uses less water than the public thinks
by jedimastert on Friday May 01, 2026 @11:06PM
(#47982926)
I mean, I know a lot of people who are also against golf courses for very similar reasons
Re:AI uses less water than the public thinks
by cybercatgurrl on Sunday May 03, 2026 @11:25PM
(#48004291)
clearly the reasonable course of action here is ban new golf courses!