Water UK, the trade body representing water suppliers across Britain, has warned that the UK may not have enough water to support the government's plan to triple data centre capacity by 2030. The organisation argues that national AI growth strategies and water resource planning have largely overlooked the significant water demands of data centres, despite their reliance on water-intensive cooling systems.
According to Water UK, data centres in England already consume around 6.6 million litres of drinking water every day, and that figure could rise to nearly 20 million litres daily if the government's AI ambitions are achieved. The group says most existing and proposed facilities are located in the south and east of England, regions already facing severe water stress and widespread hosepipe restrictions following prolonged dry weather.
The trade body criticised current government planning, saying forecasts from both AI development policies and the Environment Agency fail to include projected water demand from data centres. It warned that expanding AI infrastructure without corresponding investment in reservoirs, water networks, and long-term resource planning could make future data centre growth impossible in some regions.
Researchers and environmental groups are urging policymakers to integrate water availability into AI infrastructure planning alongside energy requirements. They argue that sustainable data centre development will require improved cooling technologies, greater water efficiency, and significant investment in new water infrastructure to balance economic growth with environmental resilience.
