UAE Report Urges Integrated Planning to Balance AI Growth and Global Water Scarcity

A recent report released by the UAE Foreign Ministry emphasizes that artificial intelligence is reshaping global water and energy demands while simultaneously providing innovative solutions for better resource management. Titled Crosscurrents: Navigating the AI-Water-Energy Nexus, the publication stresses that sustainable technological advancement requires integrated planning and governance to prevent exacerbating water shortages.

In the executive summary, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, noted that the extraordinary rise of artificial intelligence has created a paradigm shift in both the global water crisis and our capacity to resolve it. He urged governments and industry leaders to treat water, energy, and digital infrastructure as a single interconnected system as water scarcity intensifies alongside technological expansion.

The study maps water consumption across the entire AI value chain—including semiconductor manufacturing, electricity generation, and cooling infrastructure—and points out that indirect water use in power generation and chip production frequently surpasses the direct consumption of data centers themselves. Policymakers have often overlooked these broader resource implications, even as data centre water use is projected to nearly double by 2030 to reach 9.32 trillion litres. Furthermore, the UN warned in January that certain regions have entered water bankruptcy due to irreversible depletion.

Political hurdles also constrain future AI growth. Drawing on examples from the US, Malaysia, Chile, and Ireland, the report details how community apprehension regarding water access and electricity demands has delayed or forced the redesign of major data centre projects. Conversely, the study highlights how AI can optimize water management, citing UAE initiatives like MaiWater that integrate artificial intelligence with renewable energy and water planning, advanced cooling, and strategic storage.

To navigate these challenges, the report outlines five key recommendations: fostering international co-operation on responsible AI water use, integrating AI infrastructure into broader water and energy planning, mandating transparent resource-use reporting, promoting low-water and low-energy technologies, and embedding water and climate risks into corporate strategies. The UAE and Senegal are set to host the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi in December, which the report describes as a vital opportunity to advance responsible AI development globally.