AI queries consume significant water resources: 100-word email uses 519ml, global infrastructure could rival half UK's water withdrawal by 2027
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Summary
A 2025 peer-reviewed paper reveals that writing a single 100-word email using ChatGPT consumes about 519 millilitres of water (roughly a standard bottle) for data center cooling. The global AI infrastructure is projected to use water equivalent to half the UK's annual water withdrawal by 2027, with much of this water drawn from drought-stricken regions. The paper, "Making AI Less Thirsty" by researchers at UC Riverside, provides methodology for estimating the water footprint of large language models, including both direct cooling water and indirect water used in electricity generation.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledWriting a single 100-word email with ChatGPT consumes approximately the volume of a standard bottle of water
The global infrastructure processing AI queries is projected to use the equivalent of half the United Kingdom's annual water withdrawal by 2027
Much of that water is being drawn from regions already experiencing severe drought
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