These are the countries which have officially built the most data centers — and the ones where people are getting concerned about water consumption the most

Over the last three years, the United States has led the construction of AI data centers, adding an impressive 127 facilities, which is ten times more than any other nation. While the US is driving this growth, the environmental impact, specifically water consumption, is more significantly felt in smaller nations. Russia built 77 data centers (44% growth), and the UK added 58 (up 12%), but their impact is comparatively smaller. The US boasts 5,427 data centers, while Russia's 251 represent less than 5% of the output.

Water stress is a growing concern, particularly in areas where water is already scarce. A study by Comparitech reveals that areas such as Belgium, despite its damp climate, are experiencing water stress due to data centers. The World Resources Institute defines water stress as using more than 80% of a country's available water supply. In the report, Chile and Belgium have the highest water stress scores (4.5 and 4.4 respectively), while the US is at 2.6 and the UK at 1.3.

Belgium, a small European country, has established 12 new data centers since 2023, indicating that the demand for water is reaching its limit. Each day, these data centers consume up to five million gallons of water. The report also underscores the strategic significance of data centers, with Iran launching drone strikes on AWS sites in the UAE in March 2026.

As data centers become more centralized, concentrated risks arise, including strained local resources, single points of failure, and increased attractiveness as targets. This growing trend of clustering data centers into denser hubs presents an escalating risk.