Investigations from techUK has revealed that most of the UK’s data centres use minimal water, despite recent studies pointing to the high energy and water use of data centres supporting AI technology.

techUK embarked on the research amid the growing public and political interest in the water usage of data centres, based on a survey run in collaborate with the Environment Agency.

The survey was anonymous, voluntary, and self-reported, and included 73 co-locational data centre facilities in the UK. No on-premise of enterprise data centres were included in the study. Further, while techUK reviewed the survey responses, no independent review was conducted to evaluate the self-assessments.

The results reveal that most surveyed data centres are currently low water users, with 51% of surveyed data centres using waterless cooling systems.

The research found that 64% of the 73 data centres use less than 10,000 cubic metres of water per year, which is less than the typical leisure centre and on par with a Premier League Football Club.

The vast majority of surveyed data centres (89%) either measure water use or do not need to thanks to a closed-loop water cooling system.

Only 4% of data centres reported using over 100,000m³ per year, which is in line with industrial manufacturing requirements.

With the UK government aiming to expand sovereign compute capacity 20-fold by 2030, these findings suggest that commercial data centres are, in many cases, actively minimising water use through smart design and cooling choices to minimise their environmental impact, particularly in areas with water stress or power constraints.

The report highlights major data and planning gaps in the industry, calling for urgent collaboration between governments, regulators, and the data centre industry to ensure sustainable digital infrastructure growth.

Further, the UK is actually facing a water crisis at the moment – five regions in England are currently in drought status, with the local and wider authorities urging people to cut back on their water usage.

“Data centres are the backbone of the UK’s digital economy and will be central to delivering our AI and innovation ambitions,” Matthew Evans, director of markets and COO of techUK said.

“This report shows that, contrary to some public perceptions, most commercial data centres are actively innovating to use minimal water.

“But as demand for compute grows, we must plan ahead. We need smart policies, resilient infrastructure, and stronger data to ensure digital and environmental resilience go hand in hand.”

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Richard Thompson, the Environment Agency’s deputy director for Water Resources, said: “I am encouraged by the work techUK have undertaken to better understand water usage – the findings suggest UK data centres are utilising a range of cooling technologies and becoming more water conscious.

“Advancements in technology must go hand-in-hand with protecting public water supplies, food security and the environment. It is vital the sector puts sustainability at its heart, and minimises water use in line with evolving standards.

“We are working with industry and other regulators to raise these to secure the best outcomes for our environment and our water supply for future generations.”

techUK has made several recommendations to ensure data centre growth is aligned with long-term water sustainability, with specific advice for government and industry.

The government is advised to invest in more water infrastructure, create a digital-first water strategy, and develop a UK-wide water exploitation index for each major river basin.

Industry should measure and report their water usage, adopt advanced cooling technologies, and commit to water efficiency targets by joining the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact.

techUK recommends the government and industry collaborate to develop standardised AI cooling requirements to reduce energy and water demands, establish a public-private partnership to coordinate infrastructure, and ensure early coordination between infrastructure partners.

While techUK is clear that the report is not a definitive snapshot of the UK’s data centre ecosystem due to several caveats, it does provide an important starting point for dialogue, regulation, and strategic investment.