Report: Data Centers Expanding into Water-Stressed, Vulnerable Communities Across California

A new report released today by nonpartisan think tank Next 10, authored by researchers at Santa Clara University, finds that California’s rapidly expanding data center industry is increasingly intersecting with regions that are socio-economically more vulnerable and those that are facing water scarcity, raising concerns about long-term water sustainability and at-risk communities. The report, The Intersection of Data Center Development, Water Availability, and Environmental Justice In California , is the first comprehensive analysis of every known operating and planned data center in California through a combined water access and social vulnerability lens.