AI data centers have high water and energy bills, with one hundred-word AI-generated email requiring about three half-liter bottles of water.

A new study from the University of California, reported by the Washington Post, shows that a 100-word email generated by AI consumes about three 0.5-liter bottles of water. Generative AI comes at a high cost. Not only is the water consumption necessary to cool the servers, but the power grid is also reaching its limits. The immense computing power required for AI has a significant impact on the planet.

Water and electricity

The impact of generative AI on the planet has been studied many times. The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects the electricity demand of data centers and AI to double by 2026. The American study by the University of California shows that the exact water consumption varies depending on the state and proximity to the data center.

Less water use would equate to cheaper electricity and more power use. For example, Texas had the lowest water use of 235 milliliters for a 100-word email, compared to Washington at 1,408 milliliters per email. That’s the equivalent of three half-liter bottles of water. That’s a lot considering ChatGPT recently hit 200 million weekly users. I’ll spare you the math.

Impact on the climate

Many tech giants are being forced to adjust their climate goals. For example, Craig Cincotta, a representative of Mirosoft, told the Washington Post that the company “will work on data center cooling methods that completely eliminate water use.” But often, AI’s profit motive seems to take the forefront and environmental goals lag behind. For example, Google saw its greenhouse gas emissions increase by 48 percent in just five years due to its uncontrolled AI push.