Data center electricity demand will double due to AI

Driven by artificial intelligence, data center electricity consumption is expected to “more than double” by 2030, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) published Thursday.

Extremely energy-hungry, data centers have seen their demand increase with the recent development of so-called generative AI, which requires colossal computing power to process information accumulated in massive databases.

By 2024, data centers accounted for around 1.5% of global electricity consumption (415 TWh), and growth is exponential.

Data centers are unevenly distributed around the world and concentrated in certain regions within a country, posing challenges in terms of power supply and grid sizing.

The United States, Europe, and China currently account for approximately 85% of data center consumption.