How many liters of water are used per query in ChatGPT?

According to the OECD and Cornell University, for every 100-word text or each conversation with between 10 and 40 prompts (instructions), up to 0.5 liters of fresh water are consumed, or the equivalent of 14 LED bulbs lit for an hour.

The thirst for AI

Apart from written queries, the creation of images and especially videos with artificial intelligence further increases water consumption. Each image generated by AI consumes between 2 and 5 liters of water, according to a study by the University of California, Riverside. In fact, the trend of generating images in the style of the Japanese Ghibli studio in April 2025 consumed about 216 million liters of water in just one week, according to estimates made by experts at the time.

In the case of videos, there are no specific studies that provide a figure, but some AI experts have suggested that at least about 30 liters per minute of video could be consumed. However, the figure is in doubt, because it even seems like too low an estimate: a traditional video would consume more.

Data centers

Why does AI consume so much water? Well, for the operation of data centers where these computing processes are generated. First, these servers need large amounts of energy, which consumes water. Second, they get very hot, requiring powerful cooling systems based on potable water to avoid corroding the chips. And third, due to the water used in the manufacturing of these microchips.

It is predicted that by 2027 the global water usage for artificial intelligence will be between 4,200 and 6,600 million cubic meters (4.2 to 6.6 trillion liters). This is equivalent to between 4 and 6 times the annual water consumption of Denmark.

Global scope

There are more than 11,000 data centers in the world, most of them (about 5,000) in the United States. In fact, 70% of the global data center capacity is concentrated in just two countries: the United States (40%) and China (30%). The European Union would come next.

The world's largest data center, spanning 1 km2, is located in China's Inner Mongolia province. But the U.S. state of Virginia concentrates the largest number: 200 in a single county, Louton County, where energy consumption has risen by 250%.

Infographic in the paper of ARA Domingo