Why data centers are eating up enormous water resources | DW News

Data centers are worsening global water scarcity. As tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft ramp up computing power for AI and cloud services, their facilities are consuming enormous amounts of water and electricity. This video explores real-world examples from Uruguay, Chile, the US, and Sweden to reveal the staggering water demands of data centers — and the local conflicts and protests they’re sparking. Why are server farms often built in drought-prone regions? What role do companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft play? Can we balance environmental protection with technological advancement? 00:00 Intro - Protests against data centers 00:45 Uruguay: Google and the water shortage 03:35 The big players: Amazon, Microsoft, Google 04:00 Billions of liters of water evaporate 06:07 Chile: Enormous electricity and water demand 07:33 What's being done differently in Sweden 09:46 Citizen participation 10:30 Grok and Memphis 12:04 Lack of transparency: Cagey tech companies 13:06 Role model DeepSeek? 13:25 Water positive - is that possible? 13:52 What we can do 14:07 Outro - Data centers and environmental protection For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/ Follow DW on social media: ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwnews ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dwnews ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/ ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwnews Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: https://www.youtube.com/dwdeutsch Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/deutschewelleenglish?sub_confirmation=1