Amazon will invest $20 million in water conservation projects across the Colorado River Basin and help raise $100 million over two years. The initiative aims to support a river system supplying 40 million people, while addressing growing concern about water use by data centres, particularly those supporting artificial intelligence.

The Colorado River has endured 26 years of unprecedented drought, worsened by overuse and climate change, prompting water cuts in Arizona, Nevada and California. Amazon says its data centres used 2.5 billion gallons globally in 2025, with directly operated facilities reducing consumption by 2%; however, it does not disclose its total water use over time or provide a complete location-by-location picture. Experts warn that efficiency gains alone may not reduce overall consumption as technology expands, while Amazon’s projects include a $2.2 million programme in Orange County expected to save 189 million gallons annually.