About

GWP’s VISION is a water secure world. Our MISSION is to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable and equitable development.

OUR UNIQUE VALUE: GWP mobilises action on the global water crisis through a unique combination of social capital, shared values, credibility within the global water community, bottom-up orientation, and expertise. A network of networks, we ensure the ‘voices of water’ can inﬂuence local, national, regional, and global development priorities. We are committed to our role as a neutral convener and respected for our focus on inclusiveness and sustainability.

Learn

GWP creates and communicates information about integrated water resources management which contributes to improved water governance and, ultimately, water security.

Together with our Partners, we provide knowledge resources and capacity building activities for solving water problems.

Partner

Institutional Partners are the basis of GWP's multi-stakeholder partnership. A strong, diverse partnership can bring about the changes needed to achieve a water secure world. In this section, learn about the benefits of being a Partner and meet a few who already are. We invite like-minded organisations to join us!

GWP Regions

This is where you can find links to the websites of our Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs). RWPs are closest to the countries where we work. They share knowledge and learning across national boundaries and are expected to have an open, inclusive, and gender-sensitive policies for bringing together as wide a group of stakeholders as possible to solve water problems.

Global IWRM

2/12/2025

GWP's Colin Herron to speak at session - The hidden costs of AI: Unpacking its energy and water footprint

On the sidelines of the AI Action Summit in Paris, France, on 12 February, OECD and IEEE are convening a session to explore the energy and water footprint of AI, drawing on GWP’s expertise in AI and water usage.

🤝 Convenors: OECD & IEEE
🎙️ GWP Speaker: Senior Water Resources Management Specialist, Colin Herron
📆 Time & date: 12 February, 4:30-6:00 PM CET
📍 Location: OECD’s Conference Centre in Paris, & online
✍️ Sign-up for online participation: https://bit.ly/3CMXtWg

The AI Action Summit brings together heads of state and government, leaders of international organisations, business leaders, representatives from academia, and broad representation from civil society.

About the session: AI environmental impact extends beyond energy consumption to include natural resource use—specifically, water. AI technologies, particularly those relying on large-scale data processing and cloud computing, require significant amounts of water for cooling purposes in data centres. As the demand for AI-powered services grows, so does the pressure on water resources, particularly in regions already facing water scarcity. The challenge lies in balancing the benefits of AI with the responsible management of water resources, ensuring that the technology’s potential for innovation doesn’t come at the cost of sustainability.

Questions guiding the discussion:

How significant is water consumption in AI-related infrastructure, especially in data centres, and how does it compare to other industries regarding resource use?
What are some innovative cooling technologies that can help reduce water usage in AI data centres, and how feasible are they to implement at scale?
How can the AI industry collaborate with local communities and governments to ensure that AI deployment doesn’t exacerbate regional water challenges?
What role can policymakers play in setting regulations or incentives that encourage water-efficient practices in the development and operation of AI infrastructure?
Are there examples where AI companies have successfully minimized their water usage, and what can others learn from these practices?

Learn more about the full event taking place from 1:00-6:00 PM CET.

GWP's expertise on AI and water usage

With AI usage on the rise, AI’s water footprint is something we need to gain a profound understanding of. This concern has been raised by GWP and looked into at various occasions, hereunder:

Virtual Roundtable ‘Beyond limits: AI’s role in solving the world’s water crisis’ hosted by Chair of GWP’s Technical Committee, Jaehyang So, as part of GWP’s 2024 Network Meeting of Partners on 8 October 2024
Webinar series by Earth05 & GWP consisting of sessions ‘Water conservation in the age of AI‘ hosted on 2 November 2023, ‘Water offsetting #1’ hosted on 11 January 2024, and ‘Water offsetting #2’ hosted on 11 April 2024
GWP co-coordinates the UN-Water Task Force on Innovation, which has begun reviewing the topic of water and AI with the objective of coming up with a proposed UN-Water position

Page last edited: 2/6/2025