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Facing widespread backlash over the construction of AI data centers in the United States, Google is touting its efforts to minimize environmental impact by actually increasing water for local communities.

The AI has a water problem. Google thinks it has a fix

The company promises to replenish more water than it uses by 2030.

The company outlined five commitments regarding water use in a new blog post published Wednesday, including a goal to replenish more water than it uses in its data centers by 2030. Google also said it would invest in local water infrastructure, identify alternative water sources to power its facilities and be transparent about its water consumption in general.

“We're just one of dozens of players in the space,” Ben Townsend, Google's global head of infrastructure and sustainability, told The Verge in an interview. “We think it's really important to put out a plan that communities can refer to, so if someone else comes and says, 'We'd like to build a data center there,' a community can say, 'Well, here are five different things that really prioritize the community and the watershed. Do you do this? Are you doing one? All? None ? And if not, why?

These commitments come amid growing opposition to the rapid construction of data centers helping to meet the considerable energy needs of AI. Google's parent company, Alphabet, recently said it wants to raise $80 billion through stock sales to fund development of the technology. A recent Gallup poll found that more than 70% of Americans oppose the idea of building a data center in their area. Half of those surveyed cited the impact of data centers on environmental resources as a motivating factor behind their opposition, including 18% who cited excessive water consumption as a problem.

A recent Gallup poll found that more than 70% of Americans oppose the idea of building a data center in their area.

AI data centers require large amounts of water for cooling, with a recent study revealing that the technology uses as much water each year as people drink from water bottles around the world. Google's past estimates of its own water consumption for AI have been misleading, according to some researchers, who say they left out indirect water consumption. Widespread resource concerns have sparked a wave of commitments across the industry to limit water consumption and prevent data centers from driving up energy prices for consumers.

But Google's Townsend has so far defended the company's record. “To the best of our ability, we consider the off-site water footprint,” Townsend said, “and I believe we have made significant progress in reducing or eliminating the water footprint of this supply chain through our investments in waterless renewable energy.”

In the blog post, Bikash Koley, Google's vice president of global infrastructure, says that water consumption in data centers can reduce overall energy consumption. “In many locations, water cooling can reduce data center energy consumption by about 10 percent compared to air cooling,” Koley writes. “Overall data center water consumption is low – U.S. data centers use less than 1% of the water Americans use for their lawns each year – but we are focused on protecting local water resources in all aspects of our data center operations.

Koley says Google will be able to replenish more water than it consumes over the next four years by investing in projects that improve things like irrigation and infrastructure. He promises to continue reporting his annual water usage and look for alternative sources like reclaimed wastewater, as is the case in a Georgia county. The company also announced $17 million to support new water projects in seven states.

Those who worry that data centers will suck up all their water have legitimate concerns, Townsend said, although he says they might be using less water than people think. "It would really be a disservice to the space to say it's all misconceptions. That's not true," Townsend said. But, he added, the data center industry doesn't use as much water as you might think, and now is the time to invest to ensure that "data center water consumption doesn't become a problem."