Senator Bernie Sanders has called for a federal moratorium on data center construction, arguing that artificial intelligence infrastructure threatens American resources. However, water consumption data tells a different story. While data centers do use water for cooling, the scale is far less dramatic than critics suggest.

American data centers consumed 17 billion gallons of water directly for cooling in 2023, with another 211 billion gallons used indirectly through electricity generation. This water usage applies to any buildings using electricity, not just data centers. The U.S. loses over two trillion gallons annually to leaky pipes, making infrastructure maintenance a far larger water management challenge.

The proposed moratorium would have significant economic consequences. Attempting to pause innovation would simply drive investment to competitors like China, which is actively expanding its data center capacity rather than freezing development. As the AI race accelerates globally, restricting domestic data center construction could put American businesses at a competitive disadvantage.