Artificial intelligence may live in the cloud. But the infrastructure behind it sits firmly on the ground. And in September, two of America's largest states asked data centers essentially the same question: How much water are you actually going to use? On September 21, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of new laws requiring greater transparency around the electricity, water and land-use impacts of data centers. That same day, Texas Governor Greg Abbott directe

When a city starts running short of water, the obvious question is: Where can we find more? A new reservoir? Groundwater? Desalination? But there is another question that doesn't always get asked first: What are we doing with the water we already have? Corpus Christi, Texas, is providing an interesting real-world example right now. The South Texas city has been dealing with years of drought and growing water demand. Recent rainfall has improved reservoir levels, but the city'