Microsoft Faces Shareholder Resolution Over Data Center Water Usage Reporting
More than a dozen investors filed resolutions seeking site-specific water usage and power consumption details from Microsoft as it expands data center capacity. Microsoft’s 2025 sustainability report disclosed total water usage but omitted site-level breakdowns, prompting scrutiny over its closed-loop cooling reporting.
1. Shareholder Actions for Site-Specific Data
Over a dozen institutional investors have filed or plan to file shareholder resolutions with Microsoft urging the company to disclose granular metrics on water and power consumption across its U.S. data center network as it scales computing capacity.
2. Gaps in Microsoft’s Sustainability Reporting
Microsoft’s 2025 sustainability report detailed total data center water usage but did not break down figures by owned, leased or under-construction sites; the company has deployed closed-loop cooling technology yet has not standardized site-level reporting.
3. Implications for ESG and Operations
Investors highlight that North American data centers consumed nearly 1 trillion liters of water in 2025 and warn that lack of transparency on resource use could undermine Microsoft’s ability to demonstrate progress toward 2030 carbon-free energy and water conservation goals.