The AI boom makes this worse: the chips that train large language models run far hotter than ordinary cloud hardware, so AI data centers are not just more numerous than their predecessors but thirstier per square meter. One point is routinely elided: data centers do not, in fact, need fresh water. Data centers cluster where the power, subsea cables, talent and customers are: Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and the Delhi capital region. India has built an elaborate machinery for attracting data centers and almost none for governing their thirst. Half a dozen states dangle stamp-duty waivers, power subsidies and single-window clearances, and Tamil Nadu's policy even lists guaranteed water supply as a perk.