The report, published on Oct. 28, notes that the surge in AI-driven technologies, including data centers and semiconductor manufacturing, is contributing to a growing mismatch between water supply and demand, while warning that ignoring the water demands of AI and other industries could have serious consequences.

“There is an urgent and growing need to build resilience into our collective water management practices if we are to have reliable water for use in the future,” reads the report, which notes that the growing instability of water resources is “pushing us closer to disrupted ecosystem services, threatened biodiversity, and impacted human livelihoods.”