LBNL: about 17 billion gallons of direct cooling water in 2023, projected to double or quadruple by 2028.

What this evidence bears on

• Supports: Water demand for cooling is set to grow fast. US data centers used about 17 billion gallons of water directly for cooling in 2023, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory projects this could double or quadruple by 2028.

  • A reason for “Yes, cities should pause new large data centers until their costs are understood and covered.”