Global Data Center Electricity Consumption Quadrupled in Five Years
With the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence and cloud computing applications, electricity consumption of data centers reached 557 terawatt-hours last year.
According to the International Gas Union's Global Gas Report, driven by the proliferation of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and high-performance computing applications, the electricity consumption of global data centers grew at an average annual rate of 30.9 percent between 2020 and 2025, increasing by nearly 4 times.
Consumption Quadrupled in Five Years
Global data center electricity consumption recorded an average annual increase of approximately 30.9 percent during the 2020-2025 period.
The electricity consumption of these facilities reached 557 terawatt-hours last year, accounting for 1.9 percent of global electricity demand.
Thus, electricity consumption driven by data centers, which was 145 terawatt-hours in 2020, has increased nearly fourfold in five years.
Scenarios Projected for 2030
According to the International Gas Union's cautious scenario, the electricity consumption of these facilities will rise to 1,372 terawatt-hours by 2030.
This consumption is expected to reach approximately 4 percent of global electricity demand.
In the scenario where all projects worldwide are completed on time, consumption is calculated to potentially surge up to 2,904 terawatt-hours.
Majority of Capacity Growth Focused on Artificial Intelligence
The installed electrical capacity of global data centers reached 141 gigawatts across approximately 7,000 facilities by the end of 2025.
A significant portion of new data centers requires an electrical capacity between 100 megawatts and 1 gigawatt.
The capacity pool of projects under construction and planned is projected to exceed 500 gigawatts by 2030.
Discrepancy Between Grid Infrastructure and Construction Processes
While data centers can typically be built in 1 to 3 years, completing new electrical grid infrastructure takes 5 to 15 years.
This situation creates a time gap between the readiness of the facilities and the commissioning of grid connection capacity.
Operators are forced to turn to on-site generation and hybrid solutions to secure electricity demand.
Regional Developments and the Situation in the US
The US hosts more than 40 percent of global data center capacity, and the largest growth is expected to take place there.
It is stated that data center capacity in the country will increase by 229 gigawatts during the 2025-2030 period, and waiting times in grid queues reach up to 4 years.
Capacity increases and grid access in other major hubs such as Europe and Singapore also impact energy planning.