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Watt about water? The green AI conversation we need to have now

Sustainable AI strategies must address efficient use of water, not just energy

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    • The resource that has not received comparable attention, despite being consumed at significant scale by every data centre running those workloads, is water.
    • The resource that has not received comparable attention, despite being consumed at significant scale by every data centre running those workloads, is water. PHOTO: BT FILE

    Jimmy Yam

    Published Fri, Apr 10, 2026 · 07:00 AM — Updated Mon, Apr 13, 2026 · 03:02 PM

    OVER the past two years, the sustainability debate around artificial intelligence has been dominated by one resource: electricity.

    Renewable energy targets, power purchase agreements, graphics processing unit efficiency ratings, the carbon intensity of compute workloads. These are legitimate priorities, and the industry has been right to pursue them seriously.

    The resource that has not received comparable attention, despite being consumed at significant scale by every data centre running those workloads, is water.

    Artificial IntelligenceData centresWaterEnergy efficiencySingaporeInnovationRegulationsustainability

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