Another Take: Why is drought-hit Brazil saying ‘yes’ to AI data centers?

Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on July 7, 2025. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.

When AI data centers come to town, companies promise jobs and opportunity. But what about all the water needed to keep data centers running? In one drought-stricken community in Brazil, residents must weigh the choices. How do communities balance the economic boost and environmental cost of hosting water-reliant data centers?

In this episode: 

• Laís Martins (‪@laismartins.com‬), Investigative Journalist

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Tamara Khandaker. The original production team was Marcos Bartolomé, Haleema Shah, Remas Alhawari, Manny Panaretos, Mariana Navarrete, Kylene Kiang, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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