The UK is projected to face a water shortage for planned data centers, according to a report from the industry group Water UK.
Data centers require vast amounts of water to dissipate heat generated by densely packed servers. Cooling towers and systems use water directly, and significant amounts are also consumed due to the increasing energy demands of these facilities.
In a public analytical document for Parliament members, Water UK stated that government forecasts for water consumption are "fatally flawed" and "clearly exclude" data centers.
The April document noted that the government "does not mention water" in its policies for AI growth zones, its "AI for Science" strategy, or its action plan for AI opportunities. Water UK also pointed out that the latest national water resources program from the Environment Agency, published in June 2025, also lacks assessments of data center water needs.
The industry organization emphasized that any further growth of data centers in water-scarce regions "may prove impossible" without policy changes due to the existing strain on the water supply network.
"As the targets for reducing leaks and consumption are already extremely ambitious, the only solution for ensuring new supplies is either to increase water extraction from the environment, which could harm it, or to build new infrastructure. However, planning and constructing large reservoirs can take up to 15 years," the Water UK document stated.
The highest concentration of data centers in the UK is found in Slough, serviced by Affinity Water. Approximately 125 data centers are planned or under construction in this region, where a hosepipe ban is in effect.
In May, Affinity Water informed the Environmental Audit Committee that some of these data centers are requesting up to 3 million liters of water per day, equivalent to the peak consumption of a small town with 3,500 households.
Due to existing regulations from the Environment Agency, data centers are currently required to use only potable water. This, according to Water UK, results in daily consumption of about 6.6 million liters. With the government's plans to triple computing capacity by 2030, this figure could rise to 19.8 million liters per day.
It is worth noting that in July, the Governor of New York imposed a moratorium on the construction of large data centers until legislation is approved.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that data center management in Texas was circumventing public ecological oversight.