Data Center water usage, according to Google AI

Nationally, golf courses use significantly more water than data centers. U.S. golf courses use about 2.08 billion gallons of water per day, compared to approximately 449 million gallons per day for U.S. data centers. [1]

However, the comparison is nuanced:

Regional Clustering: While golf courses are spread out, data centers cluster in specific metros (like Northern Virginia or Phoenix). This means a server farm can drain localized watersheds much faster than a distributed golf course. [1, 2]
Exponential Growth: Golf course water use has slightly declined, but data center water usage—driven by cloud computing and AI—is growing by roughly 20% each year, with projections suggesting data centers could rival total golf consumption in the coming years. [1]
Economic Value: Data centers generate far more tax revenue and economic output per gallon of water used compared to golf courses. [1]

For a deeper dive into regional impacts, check out the Montgomery Advertiser or read the full analysis on Buttondown. [1, 2]