West San Antonio campus

Microsoft · San Antonio, Texas

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The resource footprint

Modelled average

In one day, this campus consumes about

4.0150-metre swimming pools

Filled with the volume of water consumed by the campus and its electricity supply.

The actual estimate2,650,419 US gallons consumed

50-metre pools · 2 metres deep

Each diagram = 1 pool. Partial shading shows the remainder.

At the campus1,314,997 galMaking its electricity1,335,421 gal

Power-plant water may come from a different watershed. This is a volume comparison, not a claim that households lose this water.

At current operating capacity · Annual model spread evenly over time, not a live meter. Site estimates may differ by roughly ±40%.

Comparison sizes & sources

One pool = 50 × 25 × 2 metres = 2.5 million litres (about 660,430 US gallons). Pool depths vary; this is a defined comparison size.

One home-year = 10,791 kWh, the EIA’s 2022 average US residential electricity purchases. This excludes electricity generated at home and is a fixed US benchmark for all sites.

One car-year = 4.6 tonnes CO₂, the EPA’s typical passenger vehicle tailpipe estimate. The campus model is in CO₂e; the comparison expresses approximate climate scale, not equal mixtures of pollutants.

Monthly values are annual totals ÷ 12; daily values are annual totals ÷ 365. Actual demand varies. Comparisons cover the whole campus, including non-AI uses.

Water: see the numbers and sources

This is water used up, mainly through evaporation. Power-generation water may be used in a different watershed.

Total water use967M gal/yr

Evaporated on site480M gal

Making the power487M gal

Household comparison12,093homes, at 80,000 gal/year

Pressure on local water: Extremely High — a regional measure of demand compared with available water
Where the water comes from: Reclaimed / recycled water
Cooling: Evaporative towers on SAWS recycled water
Basis: Fitted to a published figure of 480 million gallons a year

Air: see the numbers and sources

The totals include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and fine particles. They cover both this site and the power plants supplying it.

Nitrogen oxides304t/yr

Sulphur dioxide347t/yr

Fine particulates47.8t PM2.5

Health (EPA)$42.2M/yr

Health range: $14.5–42.2 million a year. Lower bound is EASIUR national mid-range; upper is EPA benefit-per-ton at a ~$12M VSL.
Statistical deaths: 3.52 a year at that VSL — a national-average conversion from tons, not a local concentration study.
Equals: 379,877 cars of NOx
Where it burns: ERCOT — Texas
Generation mix: Gas 40 · Wind 24 · Solar 11 · Coal 13 · Nuclear 9
Diesel backup: This campus is Microsoft on SAWS reclaimed water. A separate Vantage/VoltaGrid San Antonio fight (151 gensets, ~5,600 t NOx) is not this site and is not mixed in.
CO₂e: 764 kt/yr — climate, not air quality

The project, approvals and community concerns

Who asked for it: Microsoft — self-build and Azure customers
Who approved it: City of San Antonio + Bexar County incentives; San Antonio Water System recycled-water contract
What it serves: Azure south-central US region
IT capacity: 300 MW current capacity / 600 MW full-build scenario

Runs largely on SAWS reclaimed water rather than potable supply, which is the mitigation most often proposed elsewhere. Even so, in a city under recurring Stage 3 drought restrictions the volumes remain politically contested.

water-stressed basin

Keep this guide handy

29.4241°, -98.7200°

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Quote or share these estimates

Gigawatt Ledger (2026). West San Antonio campus: water and air. https://gigawatt-ledger.pages.dev/site/sanantonio/. Modelled from disclosed capacity; site-level error ±40%.

Include the estimate’s date, whether it describes current or proposed capacity, and its uncertainty. Get an embeddable card.

Gigawatt Ledger · September 2026. Water and air figures are estimated from public records and disclosed capacity. How we calculate them · Use this in your community.