Companies like Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft are using large amounts of water to meet the energy demands of their data center, and they have used a lot of water in the last four years, which is impacting the environment negatively. After collecting environmental and sustainability reports in 2024 by these companies, it was found that most of the water consumption was done by Google in 2023. Google used 24 million cubic meters of water in 2023, which is equivalent to filling 26 Olympic-sized pools every day in a year. If we compare this water consumption to how much an average man consumes in his average lifespan, it's only 25 cubic meters of water. Google uses water that 1,300 people consume in their whole life in just one day.
Even though other companies used less water than Google, it's still a large amount. Microsoft used 7.8 million cubic meters of water in 2023, which is equivalent to filling 9 Olympic pools every day, while Apple consumed 6 million cubic meters of water, from which 7 Olympic pools can be filled every day. 3 million cubic meters of water were used by Meta in 2023, which is the least out of the big four companies.
132,344,557 cubic meters of water were used by Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and Google from 2020 to 2023. Which is equivalent to 52,938 Olympic-sized pools in total, or 13,234 pools annually, with average daily consumption reaching 36 pools. Microsoft’s water consumption increased by 87% from 2020 to 2023, with Google’s water consumption increasing by 69%, Meta’s by 40%, and Apple’s by 25% from 2020 to 2023. In the coming years, these companies aims to go water‑positive by funding clean‑water projects and maximizing onsite water reuse.
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H/T: Surfshark.
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Even though other companies used less water than Google, it's still a large amount. Microsoft used 7.8 million cubic meters of water in 2023, which is equivalent to filling 9 Olympic pools every day, while Apple consumed 6 million cubic meters of water, from which 7 Olympic pools can be filled every day. 3 million cubic meters of water were used by Meta in 2023, which is the least out of the big four companies.
132,344,557 cubic meters of water were used by Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and Google from 2020 to 2023. Which is equivalent to 52,938 Olympic-sized pools in total, or 13,234 pools annually, with average daily consumption reaching 36 pools. Microsoft’s water consumption increased by 87% from 2020 to 2023, with Google’s water consumption increasing by 69%, Meta’s by 40%, and Apple’s by 25% from 2020 to 2023. In the coming years, these companies aims to go water‑positive by funding clean‑water projects and maximizing onsite water reuse.
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| Year | Olympic pools (2,500m³) per year | Olympic pools (2,500m³) per day | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | 2020 | 1,679 | 4.6 |
| 2021 | 1,909 | 5.2 | |
| 2022 | 2,560 | 7 | |
| 2023 | 3,137 | 8.6 | |
| 2020 | 5,677 | 15.5 | |
| 2021 | 6,908 | 18.9 | |
| 2022 | 8,426 | 23.1 | |
| 2023 | 9,618 | 26.4 | |
| Meta | 2020 | 881 | 2.4 |
| 2021 | 1,028 | 2.8 | |
| 2022 | 1,055 | 2.9 | |
| 2023 | 1,232 | 3.4 | |
| Apple | 2020 | 1,949 | 5.3 |
| 2021 | 2,130 | 5.8 | |
| 2022 | 2,312 | 6.3 | |
| 2023 | 2,438 | 6.7 | |
| Total | 2020 | 10,185 | 27.8 |
| 2021 | 11,975 | 32.8 | |
| 2022 | 14,353 | 39.3 | |
| 2023 | 16,425 | 45 |
H/T: Surfshark.
Read next:
• IEA Report: AI Won't Worsen Climate Change, But Data Center Energy Usage Must Be Managed
• Government Data Networks Evolve into Stealth Surveillance Engine
• Which Tech Giants Are Leading with the Toughest Interviews and Earning Candidates' Praise?
