On 30 July 2025, Microsoft announced its fourth quarter results, which showed an 18% increase in revenues year-over-year, with demand for cloud storage and artificial intelligence cited as the key driver of growth. In tandem, Microsoft has announced US$80 billion in capital expenditures for 2025 to boost AI infrastructure.
The significant build out of data centers has turned a brighter spotlight on water management, with Big Tech companies (e.g., Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon Web Services) taking a multifaceted approach—improving onsite efficiencies and investing in replenishment projects to offset usage—to meet looming water-positive targets by 2030.
This rapid expansion underscores the growing intersection of digital infrastructure and water resource planning, elevating water management from an operational concern to a strategic imperative for technology leaders.
