Amazon Says Its Data Centers Use 2.5 Billion Gallons of Water

Amazon.com Inc. said its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water worldwide last year, or about 5% of the amount metro Seattle consumes annually.

The world’s largest cloud-computing company said the disclosure shows that it cools server farms more efficiently than some of its large tech industry peers.

Amazon’s announcement arrives amid a politically charged debate over how much water and electricity data centers use. Some states and cities – including Amazon’s home base Seattle – have considered or implemented moratoriums on construction of new server farms, in part to allow for further study.

Water researchers and community advocates ...