AI Boom Driving Sharp Rise in Global Water Consumption, Expert Warns Kazakh Summit
Jerusalem, 23 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Astana (Kazinform) – The development of artificial intelligence is driving rapidly growing demand for water resources. This was stated by Dastan Akebayev, Deputy Chairman of the Institute of Economic Research of the Ministry of National Economy, during an environmental summit in Astana, according to a Kazinform correspondent.
The expert reported that, according to recent estimates, the AI economy already requires approximately 23 cubic kilometers of water per year, and this figure could more than double by 2050. For comparison, this is equivalent to more than twice the volume of the Nurek Reservoir or almost a quarter of the volume of Lake Balkhash.
“According to the University of California, each 100-word AI query consumes approximately 519 ml of water, equivalent to a 0.5-liter bottle of water. Annually, this amounts to approximately 416 million liters of water, equivalent to the annual consumption of 1,000 households,” stated Dastan Akebayev, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board at Astana’s Economic Research Institute.
However, he said, larger data centers consume water equivalent to a city with a population of 10,000 to 50,000 people.
“In this context, it’s important to note that the economies of Central Asian countries are highly water- and energy-intensive. These countries consume a lot of water and energy, but receive relatively little economic return. The combination of the growth of water-intensive digital technologies and low water use efficiency creates additional urgency for sustainable water resource management in Central Asia,” Akebayev noted.
He believes that, against this backdrop, it is no longer sufficient to discuss only water distribution; the issue of financing the water sector in a way that is sustainable, including from a climate perspective, and focused on long-term results is becoming increasingly important.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov previously stated that the use of artificial intelligence could lead to increased energy consumption and environmental consequences in Kazakhstan.
