Artificial intelligence is transforming the global economy — unlocking new efficiencies, accelerating innovation and reshaping industries. However, behind every AI breakthrough lies a hidden cost: water.
Data centers are essential to powering the digital economy and enabling AI-driven innovation. As their role expands, so does their need for reliable power and water to maintain optimal performance — particularly for cooling high-performance computing systems. As AI adoption accelerates, so does its power and water footprint. By 2030, the world's data centers are projected to use more power than the entirety of India, the most populous country, and just as much water as Americans drink annually.
This makes efficient water resource management not just an environmental issue but a business imperative. Water scarcity is already disrupting supply chains, increasing operational costs and threatening business continuity. But here’s the opportunity: AI can also be the key to solving the very challenges it creates.
Optimizing Data Centers: Turning Risk Into Reliable Performance and Value Creation
As the backbone of AI-powered innovation, data centers play a critical role in enabling industries to thrive in today’s digital world. From powering health care diagnostics to supporting advanced manufacturing systems, data centers are integral to modern business operations. Cooling systems depend on water to maintain optimal temperatures for high-performance computing, making smarter water management essential for operational efficiency.
At Ecolab, we’re proving that water-smart business is smart business. In 2024 alone, our technologies helped customers conserve more than 226 billion gallons of water — enough to meet the drinking needs of 781 million people — while delivering $9.1 billion in cumulative value.
Our AI-powered ECOLAB3D™ intelligence platform uses predictive analytics and real-time data to optimize water use, reduce energy consumption and improve operational resilience across more than 40 industries. From food and beverage to manufacturing and health care, we’re helping companies turn water risk into competitive advantage. Nowhere is this transformation more urgent — or more promising — than in data centers. In partnership with Digital Realty, the leading global provider of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions that are cloud- and carrier-neutral, we piloted an AI-driven water conservation program across 35 U.S. facilities. The results demonstrated as much as a 15% reduction in water use, 126 million gallons of potable water saved annually, extended equipment life and reduced energy costs.
A New Era of Business Performance
Positive business outcomes shared with our customers reinforce that water is no longer just a utility — it’s a strategic asset, and managing it wisely is now a marker of operational excellence, investor confidence and long-term value creation. At Ecolab, we’ve spent more than a century helping businesses do more with less. By combining our legacy with cutting-edge AI, we’re helping partners thrive in a resource-constrained world, where aligning environmental stewardship with business performance unlocks both new growth and financial savings.
The Future of Water Is Intelligent, Circular And Value-Driven
AI is not just a disruptor, it's also a catalyst.
The growing demand for digital technologies provides a unique opportunity to leverage AI to drive efficiency and innovation in circular water management, helping to improve operational processes, drive business growth and conserve natural resources. By embedding AI intelligence into water systems, Ecolab is helping businesses reduce, and reuse water at scale. This approach is the key to building a future where business growth and resource conservation go hand in hand.
*This article was originally published in the June 5, 2025, issue of FORBES INSIGHTS | Paid Program.
