The United Arab Emirates has published Crosscurrents: Navigating the AI–Water–Energy Nexus, a report examining the resource demands of artificial intelligence across semiconductor manufacturing, power generation and data centres.
The report projects that global data-centre water use will rise from 4.5 trillion litres in 2025 to 9.32 trillion litres by 2030.
Water as a less visible part of the AI challenge
As governments and technology companies expand AI capacity, power, permitting and the local impact of data centres are moving up the agenda. Water is a less visible part of the same challenge, with AI depending on the resources that enable it.
The report looks at the full value chain behind AI, from the manufacture of semiconductors to the generation of the electricity that powers computing and the cooling of data-centre facilities.
Key findings
- Global data-centre water use is projected to rise from 4.5 trillion litres in 2025 to 9.32 trillion litres by 2030.
- AI workloads alone could account for 3.7 trillion litres of water and 378 TWh of electricity by 2030, with AI’s share roughly quadrupling in five years.
- Electricity generation accounts for roughly half of water consumption across the value chain, while onsite cooling represents around 30%.
- Since 2023, nearly US$300 billion across more than 200 US data-centre projects has faced delays or cancellation, including around US$130 billion in the first quarter of 2026.
Planning water, energy and digital infrastructure together
The report calls for water, energy and digital infrastructure to be planned together from the outset, rather than treating water and energy as externalities.
The finding that electricity generation accounts for around half of water consumption across the value chain indicates that the water footprint of AI extends well beyond the data centre itself, with onsite cooling making up around 30%.
H.E. Abdulla Balalaa, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, is available to discuss the report and the AI–water–energy nexus.
UAE focus on water
The report adds to the UAE’s work on global water issues. H2O Global News has previously reported on how the UAE has put water investment at the centre of the 2026 UN Water Conference, and on the opening of registration for the conference’s public zone in Abu Dhabi.
The full report is available to download from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
Frequently asked questions
Crosscurrents: Navigating the AI–Water–Energy Nexus is a report published by the UAE that examines AI’s resource demands across semiconductor manufacturing, power generation and data centres.
The report projects global data-centre water use will rise from 4.5 trillion litres in 2025 to 9.32 trillion litres by 2030.
AI workloads alone could account for 3.7 trillion litres of water and 378 TWh of electricity by 2030, according to the report.
Electricity generation accounts for roughly half of water consumption across the value chain, while onsite cooling represents around 30%.
It calls for water, energy and digital infrastructure to be planned together from the outset, rather than treating water and energy as externalities.
