{"slug": "the-hidden-data-center-water-risk-that-deserves-more-attention", "title": "The Hidden Data Center Water Risk That Deserves More Attention", "summary": "New research highlights that the largest water demand from data centers comes not from cooling systems but from the power plants supplying their electricity, posing a risk to drought-stressed electricity and water systems as AI drives growth. Mindy Lubber, writing for Forbes Innovation, emphasizes the overlooked water footprint of AI's expanding infrastructure.", "body_md": "# The Hidden Data Center Water Risk That Deserves More Attention\n\nBy Mindy Lubber, ContributorSource: \n\n[Forbes Innovation](https://www.forbes.com/innovation/)\nData centers' biggest water demand isn't cooling—it's the power plants behind them. New research shows why AI's growth is a risk to drought-stressed electricity and water systems nationwide.\n\nGet AI news in your inbox\n\nDaily digest of what matters in AI.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-hidden-data-center-water-risk-that-deserves-more-attention", "canonical_source": "https://www.machinebrief.com/news/the-hidden-data-center-water-risk-that-deserves-more-attenti-2xcs", "published_at": "2026-09-09 13:18:20+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-09 14:12:43.100570+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-infrastructure", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Forbes Innovation", "Mindy Lubber"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-hidden-data-center-water-risk-that-deserves-more-attention", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-hidden-data-center-water-risk-that-deserves-more-attention.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-hidden-data-center-water-risk-that-deserves-more-attention.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-hidden-data-center-water-risk-that-deserves-more-attention.jsonld"}}