Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Big Tech claims AI data centers don’t use much water. But data centers typically report the water used inside the facilities — we found them indirectly consuming 10x that amount.
We went to the drought-stricken West, where farmers now have to fight AI oligarchs for water.
Producer: Dan Lieberman
Editor: Leslie Atkins
Videographer: TK
Supervising Producer: Brady Welch
Video Production Manager: Isabel Atalaya
Video Production Coordinator: Jodi Clemens
Video Production Fellow: Astrid Dong
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More Perfect Union is an Emmy-winning, nonprofit newsroom whose mission is to build power for working people. Here’s what that means: We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective. We attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions. We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power. And we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems.
To support our independent journalism, subscribe, donate, and follow our other pages through the links below:
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Big Tech claims AI data centers don’t use much water. But data centers typically report the water used inside the facilities — we found them indirectly consuming 10x that amount.
We went to the drought-stricken West, where farmers now have to fight AI oligarchs for water.
Producer: Dan Lieberman
Editor: Leslie Atkins
Videographer: TK
Supervising Producer: Brady Welch
Video Production Manager: Isabel Atalaya
Video Production Coordinator: Jodi Clemens
Video Production Fellow: Astrid Dong
-----
More Perfect Union is an Emmy-winning, nonprofit newsroom whose mission is to build power for working people. Here’s what that means: We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective. We attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions. We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power. And we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems.
To support our independent journalism, subscribe, donate, and follow our other pages through the links below:
- Help fund our reporting: secure.actblue.com/donate/mpu-splash
- Substack: substack.perfectunion.us
- TikTok: tiktok.com/@moreperfectunion
- Twitter: twitter.com/MorePerfectUS
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/moreperfectunion.bsky.social
- Facebook: facebook.com/MorePerfectUS
- Instagram: instagram.com/perfectunion
- Threads: threads.net/@perfectunion
- Website: perfectunion.us
