Microsoft projects large rise in data-center water use as A.I. expands

Microsoft is projecting a sharp increase in water use at its data centers worldwide as demand for artificial intelligence grows, with internal forecasts last year showing annual needs rising to about 28 billion liters by 2030 from 7.9 billion liters in 2020. After The Times contacted the company, Microsoft said it had revised that projection to roughly 18 billion liters in 2030, an increase of about 150 percent from 2020.

The company’s earlier forecasts included location-level estimates that the company has since revised. Near Jakarta, Microsoft last year estimated water use would more than quadruple to 1.9 billion liters in 2030 from 380 million liters in 2024; it has since revised that Jakarta figure to 664 million liters and said it no longer has 2026 estimates for any location.

In the Phoenix area, an earlier 2030 projection of 3.3 billion liters was reduced to 2 billion liters as Microsoft said it is running facilities at higher temperatures and needs less water for cooling. A projected 1.9 billion liters in Pune was reduced to 237 million liters; Microsoft declined to explain that decrease.

The company also said its updated forecast does not include more than $50 billion in data-center deals signed last year and omits some new providers called “neoclouds.” The revisions come amid a broader industry buildout driven by the A.I. boom.

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Tech, Microsoft, Jakarta, Phoenix, Pune, Data Centers