This comparison sounds to me like it is downplaying the significance of the numbers. California's almond-growing is another gross environmental crime, which is regularly controversial in California.
Since California produces about 80% of the world's almonds, it also means that the global water footprint for almonds is about the same as the global water footprint for AI.
More directly, a global analysis does not mean the AI data centers are evenly distributed around the world. From the article:
"A Bloomberg analysis suggests about two-thirds of data centers built or planned since 2022 are water-stressed regions, concentrated in Australia, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Saudi-Arabia, and the US Southwest (Nicoletti et al., 2025). Within the United States, Texas hosts over 400 data centers projected to consume nearly 3% of statewide water supply by 2030 (Martinez, 2025), in a state grappling with recurring drought conditions and aquifer depletion."
"Corporate sustainability reports confirm this concentration: approximately 42% of Microsoft's water consumption occurs in water-stress regions, and 15% of Google's water use is concentrated in high water-scarcity areas (Barratt et al., 2025)."
Comparing water-stressed regions in California for almond production to water-stressed regions used for data centers does seem relevant.
This is not even an argument. 100 years? So you're admitting that almonds in California are clearly a sustainable industry that can exist in the long term.
Life without batternberg cake is something too horrible to contemplate. Unlike AI, the squares are beautifully and reliably deterministic in their placement and the marzipan surrounding it is truly enhancing to society.
I agree with your link that the unsustainable use of water for almond farms causes problems, and agree that these problems are quite similar to that of water use for AI, so both should have high scrutiny. Quoting your link:
Almonds use roughly the same amount of water as total indoor water use in California. This is unsustainable.
There are simply too many almonds being planted in areas with unsustainable water supplies (minimal to no groundwater, uncertain or no surface water). ...
We’re not opposed to growing almonds; we’re opposed to growing them unsustainably and taking water away from the environment and our cities. Almonds are a luxury and export crop; approximately 70% of the state’s crop is shipped abroad for the express benefit of a handful of industrial-scale growers and hedge funds.
Water is a public trust resource, and Californians must regain control of it as they face a future certain to be beleaguered by drought, low reservoirs and over-drafted aquifers. We can't continue to subsidize agribusiness plutocrats with the water ratepayers need for basic survival.
Water for AI also uses unsustainable water supplies, directs water away from the environment and our cities, and is subsidized for big tech plutocrats paid for by water ratepayers. It also sure seems to me that most AI use falls in the "luxury" category.
Comments
”AI's global water footprint could reach 4.2–6.6 billion cubic meters by 2027”
This is about as much as the annual consumption of the California almond farms.
(An acre-foot is approximately 1200 cubic meters.)
https://www.c-win.org/cwin-water-blog/2022/7/11/california-a...
This comparison sounds to me like it is downplaying the significance of the numbers. California's almond-growing is another gross environmental crime, which is regularly controversial in California.
That's because the Californian almond industry is exclusively located in California, unlike the global data centre industry.
Since California produces about 80% of the world's almonds, it also means that the global water footprint for almonds is about the same as the global water footprint for AI.
More directly, a global analysis does not mean the AI data centers are evenly distributed around the world. From the article:
"A Bloomberg analysis suggests about two-thirds of data centers built or planned since 2022 are water-stressed regions, concentrated in Australia, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Saudi-Arabia, and the US Southwest (Nicoletti et al., 2025). Within the United States, Texas hosts over 400 data centers projected to consume nearly 3% of statewide water supply by 2030 (Martinez, 2025), in a state grappling with recurring drought conditions and aquifer depletion."
"Corporate sustainability reports confirm this concentration: approximately 42% of Microsoft's water consumption occurs in water-stress regions, and 15% of Google's water use is concentrated in high water-scarcity areas (Barratt et al., 2025)."
Comparing water-stressed regions in California for almond production to water-stressed regions used for data centers does seem relevant.
Two completely unrelated things can indeed share some similarities at a very superficial level.
Yes. And two seemingly unrelated things can share deeper similarities.
The Californian almond industry has had over 100 years to develop. The AI data centre industry has had 4.
This is not even an argument. 100 years? So you're admitting that almonds in California are clearly a sustainable industry that can exist in the long term.
And imagine, it's already at the water usage of an industry that had a 100 years to develop. Great strides!
I'd kinda rather have almonds than data centers, If I could choose.
Life without batternberg cake is something too horrible to contemplate. Unlike AI, the squares are beautifully and reliably deterministic in their placement and the marzipan surrounding it is truly enhancing to society.
If almonds are problematic then it makes no sense to worsen the problem by adding "AI" data centers
I agree with your link that the unsustainable use of water for almond farms causes problems, and agree that these problems are quite similar to that of water use for AI, so both should have high scrutiny. Quoting your link:
Water for AI also uses unsustainable water supplies, directs water away from the environment and our cities, and is subsidized for big tech plutocrats paid for by water ratepayers. It also sure seems to me that most AI use falls in the "luxury" category.
The CA almond industry is a great example of perverse market incentives in need of regulation, which makes it a great analogy in this case.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/business/energy-environme...
I'd be willing to bet almonds bring more joy to more people in a single year than AI data centres ever will.
You must never meet vibe coders then
let's go to Rob from the valley, a vibe coder with an almond allergy for his take on the subject!
Rob will solve his almond allergy given enough tokens!
That seems closer to addiction symptoms than joy.