• Amazon says its data centers used 0.12L/kWh in 2025 – Google used 1.15L/kWh
• Air-based cooling is used 90% of the time, keeping water only for when it's really needed
• The company has also raised the safe operating temperatures for equipment, reducing cooling needs

Amazon has revealed exactly how much its global data center operations used in 2025, and at 2.5bn gallons (the equivalent of 9.5bn litres), it is less than we might have expected.

Even though 2025 was a big year for data center expansion, Amazon says water use at facilities it directly owned fell 2% year-over-year, noting an impressive Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) of 0.12L/kWh – seven times better than the 0.84L/kWh industry average and a 52% self-improvement since 2021.

While closed-loop cooling likely drove some of this improvement, Amazon says its data centers now use outside air cooling around 90% of the time.

Amazon says data center water usage is actually decreasing

With air-based cooling doing the heavy lifting, Amazon said that evaporative cooling systems, which are considered water-intensive, are only used during the hottest weather conditions.

To offset some of the cooling requirements, the company also managed to increase the temperatures at which servers can safely operate, reducing the actual cooling needs in the first place.

Comparing itself to key hyperscaler rivals in 2024, Amazon emerged as a clear leader, consuming 0.15L/kWh. Meta came in second place at 0.19L/kWh, with Microsoft consuming twice as much (0.3L/kWh). Google fell short, at 1.15L/kWh.

Where water is required, Amazon says it's committed to expanding recycled water cooling to more than 120 US locations by the end of the decade, up from 24 sites currently. 2030 is also Amazon's target for becoming water positive – a goal it says it's 75% of the way there.

However, while the figures paint a remarkable picture of leadership, Amazon's data excludes partner locations as well as construction and manufacturing-related consumption.

"As demand for cloud computing continues to grow, so does our commitment to doing more with less—and to leave communities better than we found them," the company said in its blog post.

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With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!