Amazon says its India Data center operations are now water positive

Amazon said its operations in India have become water positive, returning more water to communities than the company consumes across its data centres, offices and fulfilment centres, achieving a sustainability target a year ahead of schedule.

The announcement comes as global technology companies face increasing scrutiny from investors and environmental groups over the growing water and energy demands of AI infrastructure and data centres.

Amazon said it reached the milestone by reducing water consumption across its facilities while investing in water replenishment projects, including watershed restoration and efficient irrigation initiatives in water-stressed regions.

The company has committed to making all of its global data centre operations water positive by 2030.

Amazon also noted that its Indian data centres do not use water-based cooling systems, a significant distinction as concerns mount over the environmental footprint of AI infrastructure.

The milestone is particularly significant for India, which is home to nearly 18% of the world's population but has access to only about 4% of global freshwater resources. Water shortages have become increasingly common during the summer months, with several states experiencing rationing and declining reservoir levels.

This year, weak monsoon rains linked to El Niño conditions have further strained water availability. Karnataka, home to Bengaluru's technology industry, and Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, are among the worst-affected states. Mumbai authorities recently warned that the city has only around 40 days of water reserves remaining.

The sustainability announcement comes as Amazon continues to expand its technology infrastructure in India. The company has committed to investing more than $35 billion in the country by 2030 to strengthen its AI capabilities and support exports.

Its cloud computing business, Amazon Web Services (AWS), is also investing about $8.2 billion in Maharashtra to expand data centre capacity, according to previous government announcements.

The expansion reflects a broader trend among hyperscale cloud providers, with Microsoft and Google also announcing major data centre investments in India over the past year to support growing demand for AI services and cloud computing.

As AI adoption accelerates, water management is emerging as a critical operational and regulatory issue for technology companies, particularly in regions facing increasing climate stress and resource constraints. Amazon's announcement underscores the industry's growing focus on balancing infrastructure expansion with sustainability commitments.