Data Center Power Consumption

Data centers have shifted from a niche load to a major driver of electricity demand. The three charts that follow trace this shift from different perspectives: a country snapshot for 2024, a regional trajectory through 2030, and a review of various U.S. published outlooks.

Data Centers Electricity Consumption 2024
Figure 1 shows power consumption by data centers in 2024. Key observations: In 2024, power demand for data centers worldwide was 415 TWh, about 1.4% of the total estimated global power consumption 29,000–31,000 TWh. Two countries accounted for roughly 69% of global data center power consumption: the United States (180 TWh; 44%) and China (102 TWh; 25%). Power consumption for data centers in major European countries (Germany, France, the UK, and the Netherlands) totaled 41 TWh (10% of the global requirement). Canada and Australia each accounted for about 1% of global data center power consumption.

Print CSV Excel Copy Download

Figure 1: Data Centers Electricity Consumption 2024

Data Center Electricity Consumption Forecast 2020-2030
Figure 2 shows the IEA forecast of power consumption for data centers. Observations and highlights:

Total power consumption by data centers is projected to rise from around 270 TWh in 2020 to approximately 950 TWh in 2030, an increase of about 680 TWh over the decade—representing 2.5× growth.
By 2030, data centers are expected to account for around 2.5–3% of total global electricity consumption.
The growth of data center power demand accelerated after 2023 with the wider adoption of AI technologies. Recent increases were moderate: +28 TWh (2021), +27 TWh (2022), and +36 TWh (2023). 2024 appears to mark an inflection point (+55 TWh), followed by significant annual increases in 2027 (+104 TWh) and 2028 (+110 TWh).
In 2030, the United States (430 TWh; ~45% of data center sector demand) and China (280 TWh; ~29%) are expected to remain the dominant markets in global data center power consumption.

Print CSV Excel Copy

Figure 2: Data Centers Electricity Consumption Forecast 2020-2030
Source: IEA

US Data Centers Electricity Consumption by Different Sources 2014-2030
Figure 3 shows various forecasts from multiple sources for power consumption by data centers through 2030, revealing a wide range of outcomes and highlighting several ongoing uncertainties:

Data Centers demand will depend on the successful adoption and widespread use of AI applications at reasonable cost levels. Future demand for data center services—such as AI, video streaming, IT infrastructure, and communications—will largely be a function of these AI fundamentals.
Software and data processing technologies may improve over time and require less power; for example, newer AI models could become more efficient and need fewer computational resources.
Computer hardware, particularly chipsets used for AI data processing, is continually advancing and may also reduce power requirements.
Cooling technologies for data centers are expected to become more efficient. Additionally, colocation with industrial facilities that utilize waste heat for processes could further improve overall energy efficiency.
By 2030, projections range from around 206 TWh (EPRI historical) to approximately 970 TWh (BCG). Incorrys assesses that power consumption is likely to be near the lower end of this range.

Print CSV Excel Copy Download

Figure 3: US Centers Electricity Consumption by Different Sources 2014-2030
Sources: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL); International Energy Agency (IEA); Boston Consulting Group (BCG); Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI); Goldman Sachs; McKinsey; S&P.

References:
“Top Markets.”, Cloudscence, https://cloudscene.com/market/data-centers-in-singapore/all

Lu, Marcus. “Ranked: The Top 25 Countries With the Most Data Centers.”, Visual Capitalist, January 2025, https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-top-25-countries-with-the-most-data-centers/

Vardhman, Raj. “18 Crucial Data Center Statistics You Need to Know in 2025.”, techjuri, January 2024, https://techjury.net/industry-analysis/how-many-data-centers-are-there/

“2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report.”, Berkeley Lab Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division, December 2024, https://eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/lbnl-2024-united-states-data-center-energy-usage-report.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=substack

“Executive summary.”, IEA, https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai/executive-summary

“Status and development of the German data centre landscape – Executive Summary.”, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, https://www.bundeswirtschaftsministerium.de/Redaktion/EN/Publikationen/Digitale-Welt/status-and-development-of-the-german-data-centre-landscape-executive-summary.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=5#:~:text=In%202024%2C%20data%20centres%20and%20smaller%20IT,to%20require%2031%20TWh%20of%20elec-%20tricity.

“Market Snapshot: Energy demand from data centers is steadily increasing, and AI development is a significant factor.”, Canada Energy Regulator, October 2024, https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/market-snapshots/2024/market-snapshot-energy-demand-from-data-centers-is-steadily-increasing-and-ai-development-is-a-significant-factor.html

“Grids for data centres: ambitious grid planning can win Europe’s AI race.”, Ember, June 2025, https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/06/Report-Grids-for-data-centres-in-Europe-PDF.pdf

“France poised to become a data centre powerhouse as electricity demand surges 74% by 2050.”, Aurora Energy Research, July 2025, https://auroraer.com/company/press-room/france-poised-to-become-a-data-centre-powerhouse-as-electricity-demand-surges-74-by-2050#highlights

“DATA CENTRE ENERGY DEMAND.”, Oxford Economics Australia, July 2025, https://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/files/stakeholder_consultation/consultations/nem-consultations/2024/2025-iasr-scenarios/final-docs/oxford-economics-australia-data-centre-energy-consumption-report.pdf?la=en

Kamiya, George. Coroamă, Vlad C. “Data Centre Energy Use: Critical Review of Models and Results.”, EDNA – IEA 4E TCP, March 2025, https://www.iea-4e.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Data-Centre-Energy-Use-Critical-Review-of-Models-and-Results.pdf

Kamiya, G. Bertoldi, P.”Energy Consumption in Data Centres and Broadband Communication Networks in the EU.”, Europian Commision, 2024, https://interactdc.com/static/images/documents/JRC135926_01.pdf

“Statistics.”, Dutch Data Center Association, https://www.dutchdatacenters.nl/en/statistics-2/ . Accessed 13 October 2025.
“In conflict: Putting Russia’s datacentre market under the microscope”, Computer Weekly, June 2025, https://www.computerweekly.com/feature/In-conflict-Putting-Russias-datacentre-market-under-the-microscope

“””Data center boom in to triple power demand in Japan by 2034.””, RCR Wireless News, August 2025, https://www.rcrwireless.com/20250829/ai-infrastructure/japan-data-center

“Energy and AI.”, International Energy Agency, April 2025, https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai

Goldsmith, Ian. Byrum, Zach. “Powering the US Data Center Boom: Why Forecasting Can Be So Tricky.”, World Resources Institute, September 2025, https://www.wri.org/insights/us-data-centers-electricity-demand?

“Energy and AI.”, International Energy Agency, April 2025, https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai

“U.S. Data Center Power Outlook: Balancing competing power consumption needs”, Boston Consulting Group, June 2024, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/us-data-center-power-outlook-balancing-competing-consumption-lee-iz4pe/?trackingId=HUdUv0sARxW55L9exZtfTA%3D%3D

“Powering Intelligence.”, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), 2024, https://www.wpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3002028905_Powering-Intelligence_-Analyzing-Artificial-Intelligence-and-Data-Center-Energy-Consumption.pdf

“How Data Centers Are Shaping the Future of Energy Consumption.”, Jefferies, June 2024, https://www.jefferies.com/insights/the-big-picture/how-data-centers-are-shaping-the-future-of-energy-consumption/

“AI is poised to drive 160% increase in data center power demand.”, Goldman Sachs, May 2024, https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/AI-poised-to-drive-160-increase-in-power-demand

“AI’s power binge”, https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/week-in-charts/ais-power-binge

Wilson, Adam. Lenoir, Tony. “US datacenter and energy outlook – Powering the AI economy.”, S&P Global, June 2024, https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/research/us-datacenter-and-energy-outlook-powering-the-ai-economy