Prime Highlights
- Amazon achieved water-positive status in India a year ahead of schedule, returning more water to communities than it uses across all its local operations.
- Mumbai, with a population of 13 million, has roughly 40 days of water supply left amid one of India’s most severe summer shortages in recent years.
Key Facts
- Amazon Web Services has committed around $8.2 billion in Maharashtra, part of a broader $35 billion investment plan in India by 2030.
- India holds 18% of the world’s population but only 4% of its freshwater resources, making water conservation a critical concern as data centre expansion accelerates.
Background
Amazon announced its Indian operations have turned water positive this year, returning more water to local communities than it consumes across its data centres, offices, and warehouses, a year ahead of its original target.
The company achieved the milestone by cutting water use at its facilities and through initiatives such as watershed restoration and efficient irrigation. Amazon also said it does not use water to cool its Indian data centres.
The announcement comes as tech giants face growing pressure from shareholders and activists over the environmental impact of AI data centre expansion. Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have all been criticized for their use of water and power in connection with their data centre constructions.
This development is especially important in India, a country that has 18% of the world’s population but only 4% of the world’s fresh water supply. Water shortages are severe this summer, worsened by a strong El Niño and weak monsoon rains. States including Karnataka and Maharashtra are among the worst affected. Mumbai, home to 13 million people, has around 40 days of water supply remaining, according to local authorities.
Amazon has set a broader goal to turn water positive across its global data centre operations by 2030. The company is simultaneously expanding its presence in India, with plans to invest more than $35 billion in the country by 2030 to grow its AI capabilities. Its cloud arm, Amazon Web Services, has separately committed around $8.2 billion in Maharashtra alone.
Over the past year, major data center investments in India have also been announced by Google and Microsoft.
