Amazon for the first time disclosed the amount of water it used to run data centres worldwide, saying it consumed about 2.5 billion gallons, or roughly 9.5 billion litres, last year. The company said its data centres used an average of 0.12 litres of water per kilowatt hour of electricity, and that total water use fell 2 percent from a year earlier. Critics note the figure excludes indirect water use at power plants and during construction.

Seattle will suspend new data centre construction for 1 year after the City Council unanimously approved a moratorium on future projects. The move does not apply to developments already approved. The city cited concerns over higher electricity and water use, noise and environmental burdens, and rising public utility bills felt by residents. Officials said the pause will give Seattle time to craft its own regulatory framework and review criteria for data centre projects.