AWS Pioneers Hong Kong's First Recycled Water Data Center as Part of Global Water Stewardship Drive

Hong Kong will soon host its first data center cooled by recycled water—and it's part of a much bigger story about how Amazon Web Services (AWS) is prioritizing more efficient water use across the globe.

AWS has already achieved 53% of its goal to be water positive by 2030, returning more water to communities than it uses in direct operations. This milestone, highlighted in Amazon's 2024 Sustainability Report, demonstrates real progress through four key strategies:

• Improving water efficiency – AWS achieved a global data center Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) of 0.15 liters per kilowatt-hour in 2024, a 40% improvement since 2021
• Using more sustainable sources – AWS plans to quadruple the number of data centers using recycled water by 2030
• Increasing community water reuse – including providing cooling water for irrigation
• Investing in replenishment projects – 30 announced projects expected to return over 14 billion liters annually to communities upon completion
   

In 2019, AWS announced the launch of the Asia Pacific (Hong Kong) Region—one of 38 geographic regions worldwide—supporting the advanced cloud computing needs of this international financial hub. Now, we're taking our water stewardship to the next level.

The milestone: A data center in Hong Kong will become the city's first to use recycled water for cooling operations.

This isn't just about technology—it's about impact. Once fully operational, the system could save enough freshwater to meet the daily consumption needs of more than 3,000 Hong Kong residents.
 

The project represents true collaboration between AWS and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSARG). In May 2025, the Water Supplies Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, and the Building Technology Research Institute agreed to support the use of recycled water for cooling in the AWS data center.

"We are excited to support AWS's initiative to use recycled water for data center cooling for the first time in Hong Kong, which closely aligns with our strategy to expand the use of recycled water for non-potable uses," said Roger Wong, Director of Water Supplies, HKSARG.

“The facility will source recycled water from a government’s water reclamation plant, using reverse osmosis technology and advanced treatment processes to meet stringent data center cooling requirements. The system is currently in its detailed design phase,”, said Gunalan Kaniasan, Water Infrastructure Manager for Asia Pacific at AWS.
 

Water Supplies Department’s water reclamation plant that processes tertiary-treated sewerage effluent to produce reclaimed water. 
 

Hong Kong's water story doesn't end at the city limits. Amazon is simultaneously advancing two constructed wetland projects upstream in Guangdong Province, implemented in partnership with GreenCity Guangzhou.

These initiatives target water quality at its source:

• Xiankeng Village: Treating sewage flows to enhance water quality in the Dongjiang River—Hong Kong's main water source
• Zuotan Village: Preventing untreated sewage discharge into the Xijiang River—Hong Kong’s standby water source

Together, these projects aim to return over 40 million liters of clean water annually to the region. Both have completed the initial due diligence and design phases and will finish construction by 2026.

Water treatment equipment was installed at Xiankeng village in August 2025.
 

"At Amazon, we aim to be a good water steward everywhere we operate," said Will Hewes, global water sustainability lead at Amazon. "We are delighted to grow our efforts in Hong Kong."

For Bryan Ha, Head of Public Policy, Hong Kong, AWS Greater China Region, this represents something larger: "I am grateful for the opportunity to work with my multidisciplinary colleagues at Amazon and former colleagues in the HKSARG to incubate this pilot project over the past year, which could potentially be scaled up across the territory and bring long-term impact on preserving our precious freshwater resources. This is a classic example of creating synergy to advance our common agenda."
 

This Hong Kong pilot project isn't just a local success story—it's a blueprint for more sustainable data center operations that could be replicated across the region and beyond. As AWS works to expand its recycled water network globally, innovations pioneered in Hong Kong will help inform similar projects worldwide.

The convergence of cutting-edge technology, government partnership, and community impact demonstrates that more sustainable water use isn't just possible; it is essential for our shared future.

Learn more about AWS's global sustainability initiatives and water stewardship efforts at aws.amazon.com/sustainability.