Amazon announced it has achieved water positive status in its Indian operations, returning more water to local communities than it consumes. The U.S. tech giant reached this sustainability milestone one year ahead of schedule through watershed restoration and efficient irrigation projects.
This achievement comes as global technology firms face intensifying scrutiny over the environmental impact of artificial intelligence infrastructure. Amazon confirmed its Indian data centers do not use water for cooling systems, distinguishing its approach amid shareholder pressure on resource-intensive AI expansion.
The conservation effort is critical in India, which holds 18 percent of the global population but only 4 percent of freshwater resources. Severe shortages currently affect key economic hubs like Bengaluru and Mumbai following weak monsoon rains driven by El Niño patterns.
Despite these challenges, Amazon plans to invest over $35 billion in India by 2030 to enhance AI capabilities and exports. Its cloud division, Amazon Web Services, has committed approximately $8.2 billion specifically to Maharashtra state infrastructure. Microsoft and Google have similarly announced major data center investments in the region.