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Voters rejected AI data centers over resource concerns. Here's why measuring water usage is hard
Voters passed 40 of 41 ballot measures to limit AI data centers over resource concerns
Key points
- Voters passed 40 of 41 proposed ballot measures that would restrict some of more than 2,000 planned new AI data centers.
- Water and power top the list of ratepayers' concerns, according to the article.
- Equinix consumed 1.2 billion gallons of water in 2025, up 10% from a year prior.
Why it matters. Measuring site-level water use is hard because operators usually report companywide figures, which may complicate local decisions on limits for AI data centers.
Voters passed 40 of 41 proposed ballot measures this week that would restrict some of the more than 2,000 new AI data centers planned around the nation. Operators typically report usage figures companywide rather than site by site, so local figures are hard to calculate. Shaolei Ren of the University of California, Riverside, said gigawatt-scale facilities can consume up to 10 million gallons of water per day.
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Voters rejected AI data centers over resource concerns. Here's why measuring water usage is hard
AI data centers are facing national outcry for draining local water and power supply. The truth about how they use water to stay cool is far more complicated. watch now Voters made it clear this week that they want to see limits put on data centers for artificial intelligence, passing 40 of 41 proposed ballot measures that would place restrictions on some of the more than 2,000 new facilities planned for communities around the nation. Water and power top the list of ratepayers' concerns. But calculating how much each data center draws from local resources is an elusive task, with operators typically reporting usage figures companywide instead of site by site. Giant 1-gigawatt AI data centers from the likes of Meta , Google , Amazon and SpaceX can consume up to 10 million gallons of water per day, according to Shaolei Ren, a data center researcher and professor at University of California, Riverside. The exact number varies greatly depending on what type of hardware is inside a data center, where it's built, and what method is used to cool the servers and the building as a whole. The complex ways data centers use water have left room for misinformation from both the builders and those fighting against them. CNBC talked to experts to get a clearer picture. Air vs. liquid cooling Data centers need serious internal cooling methods to keep chips and servers from overheating. Legacy .