Golf courses use 30x more water than all US data centers

I heard Peter Steinberger mention on Lex Fridman that golf courses use more water than data centers. It sounded like one of those stats that's too good to be true.

So I fact-checked it.

It's true. But it's also misleading, depending on how you count.

Direct cooling water only

If you only look at the water data centers use for cooling (the water they physically consume on-site), the comparison is stark:

Including electricity generation

But data centers use massive amounts of electricity, and power plants use water too. When you include the indirect water footprint from electricity generation, the picture changes:

The indirect water footprint from power plants is 12x larger than direct cooling. Most people ignore this.

For perspective

US households use about 10 trillion gallons per year. In that context, both golf and data centers are small:

The real story: trajectory

Data center direct water use tripled between 2014 and 2023 (from 5.6B to 17B gallons). Projections suggest it could double or quadruple again by 2028, driven by AI demand.

AI isn't "boiling the oceans" today. But the trajectory matters, and it's worth watching.

Sources

• Environmental and Energy Study Institute - Data centers and water consumption
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - 2024 US Data Center Energy Usage Report
• GCSAA / USGA - Golf Course Environmental Profile: Water Use Survey
• US Geological Survey - Water Use in the United States
• US EPA - WaterSense Statistics and Facts