Synopsis
The Indian government has received no complaints about data centres using too much water. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has not reported any issues. The data centre industry is using advanced cooling systems to save water and energy. New technologies are improving water efficiency. The government is supporting data centre growth to boost digital infrastructure.Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has not reported any issues related to excessive water usage by data centres.
The minister said the industry is adopting new approaches for improving cooling systems, enhancing water efficiency, and reducing overall energy consumption.
To minimise water usage, the industry adopts advanced cooling technologies such as direct-to-chip liquid cooling, adiabatic cooling, and immersion cooling.
The industry also deploys high-density racks to efficiently support high-performance computing and artificial intelligence workloads for further reduction of power and water consumption, the minister said.
To regulate and control groundwater extraction, guidelines have been issued by the Jal Shakti ministry through notifications dated September 24, 2020, and March 29, 2023, he said.
These measures, along with technological advancements, are helping improve water-use efficiency and reduce the overall water requirement of data centre operations, the minister added.
Choudhary said the government is facilitating the establishment of data centres to strengthen digital infrastructure and improve the delivery of services across sectors.
According to MeitY, data centre capacity in the country has grown from 375 MW in 2020 to over 1,500 MW in 2025.
