This study evaluated the impact of different irrigation levels on ethanol yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of sorghum x sudangrass hybrid (SSG) under semi-arid conditions. The aim was to optimize water use for sustainable bioethanol production in water-scarce environments. A two-year field experiment (2021-2022) was conducted using four drip irrigation treatments corresponding to 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% of field capacity depletion. Seasonal evapotranspiration (ETc) ranged from 261.4 to 576.6 mm, while WUE varied between 23.1 and 38.4 kg ha(-)1 mm(-)1, and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) ranged from 30.3 to 52.3 kg ha(-)1 mm(-)1. Ethanol yield parameters showed significant variation, with juice ethanol yield (JEY) ranging from 422 to 1679 L ha(-)1, lignocellulosic ethanol yield (LEY) from 1729 to 4797 L ha(-)1, and theoretical ethanol yield (TEY) from 2152 to 6477 L ha(-)1. As drought stress increased, ethanol yields declined, highlighting the crop's sensitivity to irrigation levels. Orthogonal comparison suggested optimal irrigation levels for maximizing LEY and TEY at 85.0% and 89.6% of I100, respectively. The SSG hybrid shows strong potential for bioethanol production under varying irrigation levels in water-limited regions. The findings highlight the crop's high WUE, offering a sustainable approach for optimizing irrigation in semi-arid agriculture. These findings support the development of precision irrigation strategies to enhance sustainable biofuel production in semi-arid regions.