US chipmaker Intel hit a milestone in its conservation efforts for water used in manufacturing, declaring operations in the US, Costa Rica and India were officially net positive on consumption.

Net positive means Intel restored and returned more freshwater than it took across the three countries, it explained in a statement.

Water is used in Intel’s manufacturing processes, along with cooling systems and data centres.

In 2021, Intel used 16 billion gallons of water globally and returned 13.1 billion gallons “to surrounding communities”.

Todd Brady, chief sustainability officer and VP of global public affairs, stated Intel started to explore reducing water consumption ten years ago.

Intel announced a public goal to restore 100 per cent of its water consumption five years ago, along with claiming it was the first technology company to set a restoration goal.

In 2020, it commited to being net positive across its current and future operations by 2030.