AI has become integrated into our lives whether we like it or not. Despite big tech forcing schools to choose and lawsuits highlighting its dangers, the controversial technology is here to stay.

New research published in Environmental Science & Technology puts specific AI concerns on a global map, highlighting 9,347 identified data centers, with roughly a quarter located in areas where water demand would exceed available supply for at least one month a year.

Data centers use water to remove heat from their equipment. In evaporative cooling systems, some of that water evaporates rather than returning to the local water system. Electricity generation and hardware manufacturing add an indirect water footprint, too, according to the Pacific Institute.

Where and when that consumption happens matters. The institute warns that data center water demand peaks during hot, dry periods, when supplies may be constrained, and other users also need more. Meeting those peaks can require additional utility infrastructure and spending.

“They are landing on top of the water supply of cities and farms,” study lead author Lorenzo Rosa said in an American Chemical Society release.

That makes data center construction relevant to people who may never pay for an AI subscription. Before approving a facility, a community needs to understand whether its water system can accommodate a large new customer during a dry summer.

Cities and municipalities are the largest water users, accounting for nearly 41% of the facilities studied, while agriculture is the primary user, accounting for another 28%, according to the American Chemical Society.

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