Polaroid warns data centers are about to drink up the water, and the internet can’t decide if it’s marketing or a warning

Polaroid is making waves online after releasing a blunt warning about the massive amounts of water consumed by AI data centers. The company shared an image on Instagram that featured the pointed message, “Go jump in some water before the data centers drink it all up.” This statement was part of a promotional push for the new Polaroid Go Generation 3 camera, aiming to nudge people away from their screens and back into the physical world. The post has sparked a heated debate across social media.

As detailed by UNILAD Tech, the core of the issue lies in how modern digital habits are powered. While the cloud is often thought of as something abstract, it is supported by vast arrays of servers housed in data centers, ranging from small cabinets to hyperscale warehouses the size of stadiums. As of the end of 2020, there were 597 of these hyperscale centers in operation, a number that had grown by nearly 50 percent since 2015, with Amazon, Google, and Microsoft operating more than half of these sites.

All this processing power generates significant amounts of heat, and data centers must be cooled constantly to keep servers from failing. In the United States, up to 43 percent of a data center’s electricity is dedicated solely to cooling, often through spraying water into the air flowing past the servers or evaporating water to transfer heat away. A relatively small 1 megawatt data center, which consumes enough electricity to power 1,000 houses, can use 26 million liters of water every single year through these cooling methods.

The environmental cost of data centers extends beyond on-site cooling

A significant portion of water usage is tied to electricity generation itself, since fossil fuels and nuclear power require water to generate the steam that turns turbines. Research from the University of Oxford found that hyperscale data centers can consume 5 million gallons of fresh water in a single day, comparable to the daily usage of a town with 10,000 to 50,000 people.

The United Nations has warned that global data operations could eventually deplete enough water to supply 1.3 billion people. A concern that has intensified as wind-powered alternatives like a recently launched underwater data center off China’s coast aim to cut both power and water use.

Polaroid’s creative director, Patricia Varella, explained the motivation behind the campaign. She said the company began asking why Polaroid should exist in an age dominated by AI, and that while their campaigns are designed to challenge the public’s relationship with technology, the goal is not to be anti-digital. Instead, she described the brand as being “deeply pro-human” and focused on finding a healthy balance between digital life and physical experiences.

The reaction to the post has been mixed. On Instagram, some users applauded the company for highlighting an environmental issue, with one person commenting that the brand was on the right side of history and another calling it a strong marketing strategy. On X, however, some users labeled the post an insane thing for a company account to share and accused the company of spreading misinformation, reflecting the same kind of public friction that has surfaced in disputes over data center noise complaints near residential areas in Michigan.

There is a growing global conversation regarding the lack of transparency in the tech industry, as some companies have long treated their water usage as a trade secret. Concerns over these resources have already led to protests in the United States, a temporary ban on new data centers in The Netherlands, and new transparency laws being drafted in France. Researchers from the University of Oxford and Imperial College London have pointed out that companies often fail to factor the true cost of water into their site selection decisions.

In one instance, Microsoft discovered that the true cost of water at its San Antonio, Texas facility was 11 times higher than what it was actually paying. As demand for AI continues to climb, the need for land, electricity, and water is expected to keep increasing, with some companies experimenting with creative solutions such as using cool air in mountain locations or submerging servers in the cold waters of Scotland.