Why data centers are eating up enormous water resources | DW News

From DW News.

Data centers are worsening global water scarcity. As tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft ramp up computing power for AI and cloud services, their facilities are consuming enormous amounts of water and electricity. This video explores real-world examples from Uruguay, Chile, the US, and Sweden to reveal the staggering water demands of data centers — and the local conflicts and protests they’re sparking. Why are server farms often built in drought-prone regions? What role do companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft play? Can we balance environmental protection with technological advancement?

00:00 Intro – Protests against data centers
00:45 Uruguay: Google and the water shortage
03:35 The big players: Amazon, Microsoft, Google
04:00 Billions of liters of water evaporate
06:07 Chile: Enormous electricity and water demand
07:33 What’s being done differently in Sweden
09:46 Citizen participation
10:30 Grok and Memphis
12:04 Lack of transparency: Cagey tech companies
13:06 Role model DeepSeek?
13:25 Water positive – is that possible?
13:52 What we can do
14:07 Outro – Data centers and environmental protection

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