Panic over data centers is wildly exaggerated — they use less water than golf courses and less energy than the USA’s fridges (only 4.63 years left)

NY Post ^ | 6/16/26 | Rikki Schlott

[Libloather]

Data centers have become the chic new enemy among activists.

Critics claim the centers are using inordinate amounts of electricity and water to power artificial intelligence, inspiring protesters to take to the streets and Democratic lawmakers to head to Albany to stymie their development.

However, some experts say the anti-data center push is more of a moral panic than an empirical one, often based on speculative and sometimes bunk projections.

It seems that data centers are the boogeyman onto which larger fears about the impact of AI are being projected.

“The estimates of future data-center development may be overestimated by a factor of three to five,” Jonathan Koomey, an energy researcher who has been studying data-center electricity usage for decades, told The Post. “It is not as simple as saying, ‘We don’t want data centers to use water.’ You have to think about the trade-offs.”

Concerns about data centers have largely centered around the idea that they are massive guzzlers of energy and water, which (alongside aircon) is used to cool banks of servers and electical equipment.

Worries about water consumption have been popularized via an oft-repeated statistic about the water consumption of a Chilean data center from journalist Karen Hao’s book, “Empire of AI.” The only problem: Hao had accidentally exaggerated the water usage by a factor of 1,000.

According to the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, just 0.2% of New York state’s water and 3.5% of the state’s electricity were used by data centers in 2025.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Conspiracy; Science
KEYWORDS: data; energy; refrigerator; skynetdoesntdrink; water

[Red6]

I think (statistic pulled from rear), 90% of environmental topics starting in the 1970s are BS.

Silent Spring was when the Tsunami of garbage began: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Spring

Once environmentalism became a political instrument, something activists can use, and for business big money, very little was legit.

It’s riddle with garbage themes that people believe because with enough repetition from various sources, it must be true or have some degree of truth, right?

Coming Ice Age
Baby seals
Spotted Owl
Polar Bears
No rain forest by the year 2000
Acid rain
We’re running out of potable water
We’re going to drown in our trash

This is the majority of environmentalism today: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE6ZxnbToZT/ (junk)

[vpintheak]

All these fools want to have all the AI at their fingertips, but don’t want us to be maintaining it. It’s the stupidity that’s the worst.

[mouse1]

I previously mentioned AI data centers and China. It is an arms race. Thanks for the article.

[SecondAmendment]

> because the demands of the few outweigh the desires of the many.

Or the one.

[toddausauras]

I’m no eco terrorist but hate that AI will take ANY water as it gears up to make our lives miserable.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“You have to think about the trade-offs....”

Less personal autonomy? Even MORE Mother Government IN YOUR FACE? Brother Government stomping on your FACE with a BOOT for all of Eternity? You mean THOSE trade-offs?

I’m sure the ‘Watermelons’ actually LOVE this AI-thang! Spy on your Neighbor! Your Mother! Your Lover! Your own dog or pussycat! Turn them in for big money for Crimes Against The State!

Prove me wrong...

George Orwell SPINS in his grave!

*SPIT*

[quantim]

The → dotcom ← bust all over again.

[light-bulb]

It’s complete forgery, BS. The data centers don’t “consume” they have closed loop systems, could they “Use” that much water... yes for sure. They Use the water by pumping the water through the loop. A golf course shoots the water out the course, into fertilized grass, letting the water have to re enter the water table through ground absorption, and evaporating a massive amount of water.

I think this negative focus on Data Centers is a direct Chinese offensive to make sure we do not invest. If people aren’t tracking this by now, please understand that we are in an arms race. The “arms” is relatable to knowledge. Knowledge is extracted by massive amounts of data. The Data Centers and really AI factories which is a tangent off of what we typically were deploying are a unified push for us to own the next frontier of AI. While many may not understand, please know that China is investing 100’s of Billions in building a unified China AI system for their government. They are investing.

[Gunslingr3]

And why are they targeting small rural areas with fewer environmental and zoning restrictions?

Why would they select places with lower land prices, and years less of building delays? Are they trying to make money or something?!

[quantim]

Your commentary is spot-on, I’m in roughly in the middle of the Great Lakes and data centers are barely mentioned. If the water usage was true then there would be endless construction of these centers in every direction.

[meyer]

I think the real concern with them is that they will have data - information about US that can be used by entities including our wonderful government to control our behavior. Nothing good can come from all this information, especially in the hands of RINOs and RATS!

[ridesthemiles]

EXACTLY:

I LIVE IN A RURAL N NEVADA VALLEY AT ABOUT 4200’ ALTITUDE.

THE ENTIRE VALLEY LIVES ON PRIVATE WELLS EXCEPT FOR A SMALL
“DOWNTOWN” AREA THAT GETS “MUNICIPAL WATER” -—WHICH ALSO COMES FROM A WELL.

THERE ARE ABOUT 5,000+++ RESIDENTS HERE. MOSTLY RETIRED & MANY LIVING ONLY ON SOCIAL SECURITY.

THE MULTIPLE DATA CENTERS SUDDENLY SO “NECESSARY” ARE THREATENING OUR WELLS.

LAST YEAR, THE STORY WAS:”ONE BUILDING WITH ABOUT 30 “ROUND THE CLOCK EMPLOYEES”. THAT HAS MORPHED INTO: 7 “COMPLEXES” & MULTIPLE BUILDINGS & OVER 2,000 EMPLOYEES.

THEY HAVE ASKED FOR 20 ACRE FEET OF WATER FROM THE COUNTY SUPERVISORS. THAT IS OVER 6,500,000 GALLONS OF WATER A YEAR== OVER 9 TIMES THE ALLOTMENT EACH OF US HAVE.
EVEN MORE INTERESTING: HOW STRONG ARE THESE NEW BUILDINGS GOING TO BE??? OVER 6 1/2 MILLION GALLONS WEIGHS OVER 52 MILLION POUNDS........A NEW 747 WEIGHS ONLY ABOUT 480,000 #.
.

THEN THAT WATER “WILL BE TREATED & RETURNED TO THE AQUIFER”.
TREATED WITH WHAT???? NONE OF THIS IS VERY CLEAR. MANY CHEMICALS CANNOT BE CLEANED OUT OF WATER.

THEN THEY ANNOUNCE “THEY WILL NOT BE USING “THAT MUCH WATER”.

THE TERM “NOT THAT MUCH” IS NOT WELL DEFINED & LEAVES PLENTY OF WIGGLE ROOM.

EACH OF OUR PARCELS ARE ALLOTTED 716,872 GALLONS A YEAR.

NONE OF US HAVE THE MEANS TO ADD DEPTH TO OUR WELLS—A COST OF ABOUT $120 A FOOT. 100 FEET===$12,000 OR MORE. THAT IS 2/3 OF MY ANNUAL INCOME. WE CANNOT GO DAYS WAITING FOR A WELL DRILLER TO SCHEDULE US. BESIDES THE WATER USAGE IN OUR HOMES, MANY OF US HAVE LIVESTOCK.

LEGALLY, WE CANNOT LIVE ON A PROPERTY THAT DOESN’T HAVE WATER. LOSING OUR WATER MEANS THE PROPERTY IS IMMEDIATELY WORTHLESS-—AND MOST OF US HAVE OUR ENTIRE NET WORTH IN THESE PARCELS. I MOST CERTAINLY DO. I CANNOT SELL & GO ELSEWHERE...

WE CANNOT SELL A PROPERTY THAT HAS NO WATER, EITHER. NO REAL ESTATE SALES——NO PAYMENTS TO MORTGAGE HOLDERS-—NO PAYMENTS FOR TAXES-—HOW FAST CAN AN ENTIRE VALLEY COLLAPSE??? THIS VALLEY REPRESENTS ABOUT 1/10th OF THE PARCELS IN THE ENTIRE COUNTY.

IF WE CANNOT LIVE HERE-—AND THERE IS NO WATER-—WHAT KIND OF TAX BILLS ARE WE EXPECTED TO PAY????

IF WE DO NOT PAY THE PROPERTY TAXES-—HOW DOES THE COUNTY SURVIVE???

THIS IS SO FAR OUT OF CONTROL, IT IS HARD TO DESCRIBE.

WE ARE BEING LIED TO & BULLDOZED OVER.

[ridesthemiles]

A GROUP OF FARMERS IN IOWA GOT TOGETHER & BOUGHT UP EVERY PARCEL OF FARM LAND THEY COULD FIND & THEN GOT ZONING CHANGES
TO HALT DATA CENTERS.

[ridesthemiles]

THE “CLOSED LOOP” NEEDS TO BE FILLED UP IN THE BEGINNING.

THEN-—AFTER AN UNKNOWN LENGTH OF TIME-—THEY NEED TO DUMP THAT WATER THAT HAS BEEN “TREATED WITH CHEMICALS” & REFILL THE “CLOSED LOOP”.

[GingisK]

The best thing about data center panic is that they have forgotten all about those imaginary 5G panics of the day.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Why *isn’t* Northern Virginia, which has been the data center capital of the world for at least 10 years, an utter wasteland, void of water and electric power for the people?

[gnarledmaw]

Start here, the title doesnt do it justice.

Steven Kwast | The Urgent Need for a U.S. Space Force

Then go look at what Musk has been saying in regards to Starlink, Gigasat, and Terafab. Those may start beying deployed as early as 2028.

The short answer is that we are on the verge of a leap in technology at least as big as gun powder and internal combustion engines, likely bigger than both combined. Consider how nukes changed the world and what their effect was on geopolitics.

These things Kwast is talking about and the things Musk is presently working on will change the world for every person on the earth and the references I made above are just the starting point. Either we will be ahead and effectively in charge of this power or China will.

When Musks data center satellites and energy systems come start coming on line the ground based ones will become by comparison too expensive to maintain and become obsolete. The hysteria is pointless and wrong headed. The biggest concern should be "How are these areas going to get cleaned up when they file for bankruptcy? "

[redinIllinois]

.

[AppyPappy]

And why is China paying activists to fight them?

[FreedomPoster]

Because that’s where cheap developable land sits.