---
title: "To Ease Data Center Water Stress, Hyperscalers Should Buy Golf Courses, Convert to Birdwatching Parks"
source: "Simon Willison 博客（Atom）"
source_tier: "t2"
url: "https://simonwillison.net/2026/Jul/17/spot-birds-not-golf/#atom-everything"
permalink: "https://feed.astralor.com/items/itm_4151d862be49a378aa147701"
published: "2026-07-17T02:58:07.000Z"
score: 65
channel: "tech"
tags: ["AI energy usage","Data Center","water conservation","Google"]
---

# To Ease Data Center Water Stress, Hyperscalers Should Buy Golf Courses, Convert to Birdwatching Parks

## AI commentary

> Although the proposal sounds satirical, it precisely hits the pain point of AI industry expansion versus local water competition. For ESG and sustainable computing professionals, it's a valuable thought experiment worth discussing.

## At a glance

Addressing the enormous water consumption of AI data centers, blogger Simon Willison proposes a counterintuitive solution: hyperscalers should buy and repurpose golf courses. For example, Google used 10.9 billion gallons in 2025, while the Coachella Valley's 120 golf courses each consume ~750,000 gallons per day. Acquiring 40 of those (one-third) would offset Google's daily water use. The plan turns golf courses into public birdwatching parks and funds former members to adopt the sustainable hobby, balancing environmentalism and water conservation.

## Key points

- Google’s data centers used 10.9 billion gallons in 2025, about 30 million gallons per day.
- The Coachella Valley’s 120 golf courses each use ~750,000 gallons per day.
- Buying 40 of those courses (one-third) would offset Google’s daily water usage.
- Convert them into public birdwatching parks with equipment, encouraging sustainable hobbies.

## Full text

Suggestion for hyperscalers feeling pressure over data center water use: Buy up a few exclusive country clubs, convert the golf courses into public parks, pay for guides and binoculars to get the previous members into birdwatching - help them embrace a more sustainable hobby! Google used 10.9 billion gallons in 2025, so about 30 million gallons per day. The Coachella Valley has 120 golf courses each using ~800 acre-feet per year, which is ~750,000 gallons per day. So Google buying up 40 of those courses (1/3) should do the trick. Tags: ai-energy-usage, ai

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Verify against the original before citing; curated by Astral Feed: https://feed.astralor.com/items/itm_4151d862be49a378aa147701