Global Water Consumption Market Size
| Study Period | 2021 - 2030 |
| Market Volume (2025) | 3.01 Trillion liters |
| Market Volume (2030) | 5.31 Trillion liters |
| CAGR (2025 - 2030) | 12.00% |
| Fastest Growing Market | Asia Pacific |
| Largest Market | North America |
| Market Concentration | Low |
Major Players*Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order |
Global Water Consumption Market Analysis
The Global Water Consumption Market size is estimated at 3.01 trillion liters in 2025, and is expected to reach 5.31 trillion liters by 2030, at a CAGR of greater than 12% during the forecast period (2025-2030).
- IT Load Capacity: The IT load capacity for the Global colocation data center market is around 1457.73 MW in 2024.
- Geographical Significance: In the Americas, climates vary from the tropical heat of South Florida and Hawaii to the frigid conditions of Alaska and the Rocky Mountains. Europe experiences cool to warm summers and cool winters, often under cloudy skies, while the Mediterranean region enjoys hot, dry summers and mild, sunny winters. In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has around tropical, arid, and semi-arid, with temperate, dry, continental, humid, and subtropical humid climates. Africa's climate is mainly desert-like in its northern and southern areas, while the central region features tropical rainforests, grasslands, and semi-arid climates. Drought conditions are impacting numerous countries globally, including the United States, Italy, Spain, Chile, Taiwan, and several Southern African nations.
- Raised Floor Space: The raised floor space for the Global colocation data center market is around 54350.94 sq.ft in 2024.
- Projected Installed Racks: The projected number of installed racks in the Global colocation data center market for 2024 is approximately 208248.
Global Water Consumption Market Trends
Rising Demand for Mega Data Centers Amid Digitalization Trends Sparks Concerns Over Water Consumption
- In 2024, the world is rapidly moving towards digitalization, driven by rising data usage and widespread digital transformation. Technologies such as AI, robotics, cloud computing, 5G, smartphones, along with the increasing use of social media and OTT platforms, are fueling the establishment of sustainable mega and AI data centers to meet growing demands. The 2024 Global Digitalization Index (GDI) shows the United States scored 78.8, Singapore 76.1, Sweden 74.5, and Finland 73.0, all on a scale of 100. This trend will boost the demand for mega data centers globally due to rising digitalization and AI adoption.
- In 2023, the global mobile market had 5.6 billion subscribers with a penetration rate of around 69%, contributing approximately USD 5.7 trillion. 5G adoption is steadily increasing, with major smartphones like Samsung, Apple, Google Pixel, and several Chinese brands such as OnePlus and Xiaomi launching 5G-supported devices. By 2023, over 18% of the global population preferred 5G. As of January 2024, 261 operators in 101 countries had launched commercial 5G mobile services.
- North America, Europe, and the APAC region, with the United States, China, and the United Kingdom at the forefront, are spearheading AI adoption. These areas not only demonstrate significant AI innovations but also integrate AI across various sectors, backed by a robust computing infrastructure and a skilled tech workforce. In 2024, the Global AI Index highlighted the leading nations: the United States topped the list with a perfect score of 100 points, trailed by China at 53.88, Singapore at 32.33, the United Kingdom at 22.95, and France at 28.07, all rated out of a potential 100 points. Presently, there are around 70,000 AI firms globally, with the U.S. housing roughly 25% of them. This trend is poised to spur the establishment of more mega and AI data centers, particularly in North America, Europe, and the APAC, which in turn is likely to escalate water consumption in the years ahead.
Hyperscale and Colocation Data Center Providers Adopt Cooling Technologies to Reduce Water Usage
- Data centers, particularly in the U.S., Europe, and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, are among the world's leading water-consuming industries. Water is vital for cooling systems, managing heat in these extensive facilities, and ensuring servers run continuously. With the increasing adoption of AI, cloud computing, and automation globally, the demand for data centers and water consumption will rise in the coming years. For example, about 75% of the water footprint of U.S. data centers arises from indirect dependencies.
- North America (specifically the U.S.), Europe (notably the FLAPD region), and APAC (including Australia, China, Singapore, India, and Japan) host the majority of the world's data centers. These regions also record the highest water consumption. For instance, a single data center in the U.S. once recorded a daily water usage of approximately 88,000 gallons (333,100 liters), translating to an annual consumption of about 32.1 million gallons (121.6 million liters).
- Immersion Liquid Cooling and Direct-to-Chip Cooling are the dominant cooling technologies in global data centers, although some still rely on traditional air-based methods. For cooling, data centers primarily utilize potable water, suitable for drinking, sourced from local utilities. Occasionally, they also tap into non-potable sources, such as greywater (treated sewage) or recycled water. For instance, over 25% of Google's data center campuses utilize reclaimed or non-potable water.
- With the rising adoption of these cooling methods by cloud and colocation data centers, water consumption has surged, exerting pressure on local communities. In light of this, data center operators and IT infrastructure managers are exploring less water-intensive alternatives, including water recycling methods. For instance, in Dallas, Vertiv and Compass Data Centers have partnered to unveil the "first-of-its-kind" cooling solution, named Vertiv CoolPhase Flex. This pioneering system can seamlessly transition between air and liquid cooling, meeting the requirements of high-density computing, including AI.
Global Water Consumption Industry Overview
The global data center market is characterized by fragmentation. Yet, six major players have risen to prominence: Amazon Web Services Inc., Equinix, Inc., Digital Realty Trust Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Meta, Inc., and Google LLC. Significantly, cloud data centers, especially those under the aegis of AWS and Microsoft, are setting their sights on achieving a "water positive" status by 2030. To illustrate, by 2024, Microsoft plans to cut water usage in its evaporative cooled data centers worldwide by an astounding 95%. This initiative will save approximately 1.5 billion gallons (5.7 billion liters) of water each year. Similarly, Meta has restored 621 million gallons (2.35 billion liters) of water in its operations over the past year and has committed to restoring 1.9 billion gallons (7.2 billion liters) annually once all projects are fully operational.
Global Water Consumption Market Leaders
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Amazon Web Services Inc.
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Equinix, Inc.
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Digital Realty Trust Inc.,
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Microsoft Corporation
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Meta, Inc.
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Google LLC
- *Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order
Global Water Consumption Market News
- November 2024: JetCool and Flex entered into a partnership. As part of this collaboration, the manufacturing company unveiled customizable, open-standard compute reference designs that incorporate JetCool's SmartPlate direct-to-chip liquid cooling solution.
- November 2024: As AI adoption surges, Meta is poised to unveil cutting-edge AI data centers. These state-of-the-art facilities will incorporate partial liquid cooling with plans to implement direct-to-chip cooling for its GPUs, while maintaining air cooling for its conventional servers.
Global Water Consumption Industry Segmentation
Data centers rely heavily on water for their cooling systems, which include cooling towers, chillers, pumps, pipes, heat exchangers, condensers, and computer room air handler (CRAH) units. Additionally, data centers require water for their humidification systems and general facility maintenance.The study tracks the critical applications of water in large data centers, such as cooling and power generation. It includes key applications based on water consumption in data centers and quantifies overall water usage in billion liters across regions. The study also identifies underlying trends and developments conceptualized by leading industry data center operators.
The Global Water Consumption Market is Divided Into Segments Based On Water Procurement (Potable Water, Non-Potable Water, and Other Alternate Sources), Data Center Type (Enterprise, Colocation, and Cloud Service Providers (CSPs)), and Data Center Size (Mega, Massive, Large, Medium, and Small). The Report Provides Market Size and Forecasts for all These Segments, Measured in Volume (Billion Liters).
| Market Segmentation - By Source of Water Procurement | Potable Water (Via Regional Water Utility Companies, Local Water Authorities or Private Companies) |
| Non-Potable Water (It Includes greywater (Treated Sewage or Recycled Water) | |
| Other Alternate Source (It includes on-site Groundwater, Surface Water, Seawater, Water produced via a byproduct of oil and gas extraction, and Rainwater) | |
| Market Segmentation - By Data Center Type | Enterprise |
| Colocation | |
| Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) | |
| Market Segmentation - By Data Center Size | Mega |
| Massive | |
| Large | |
| Medium | |
| Small |
Global Water Consumption Market Research FAQs
How big is the Global Water Consumption Market?
The Global Water Consumption Market size is expected to reach 3.01 trillion liters in 2025 and grow at a CAGR of greater than 12% to reach 5.31 trillion liters by 2030.
What is the current Global Water Consumption Market size?
In 2025, the Global Water Consumption Market size is expected to reach 3.01 trillion liters.
Who are the key players in Global Water Consumption Market?
Amazon Web Services Inc., Equinix, Inc., Digital Realty Trust Inc.,, Microsoft Corporation, Meta, Inc. and Google LLC are the major companies operating in the Global Water Consumption Market.
Which is the fastest growing region in Global Water Consumption Market?
Asia Pacific is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR over the forecast period (2025-2030).
Which region has the biggest share in Global Water Consumption Market?
In 2025, the North America accounts for the largest market share in Global Water Consumption Market.
What years does this Global Water Consumption Market cover, and what was the market size in 2024?
In 2024, the Global Water Consumption Market size was estimated at 2.65 trillion liters. The report covers the Global Water Consumption Market historical market size for years: 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The report also forecasts the Global Water Consumption Market size for years: 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030.
Global Water Consumption Industry Report
Statistics for the 2025 Global Water Consumption market share, size and revenue growth rate, created by Mordor Intelligence™ Industry Reports. Global Water Consumption analysis includes a market forecast outlook for 2025 to 2030 and historical overview. Get a sample of this industry analysis as a free report PDF download.
