Data center demand on the electric grid is set to nearly triple by 2030, according to S&P Global, marking one of the fastest sustained increases in industrial power consumption in decades. The firm projected grid power demand from data centers would rise 22 percent in 2025 alone, with continued rapid growth through the end of the decade.

The buildout is measured in gigawatts. US data center power requirements for IT equipment and supporting systems are expected to climb from about 75.8 gigawatts in 2026 to 108 gigawatts in 2028 and 134.4 gigawatts in 2030. Globally, data center power demand is expected to almost double over the same period as artificial intelligence workloads expand.

The concentration of that demand carries economic weight. Utilities have raised their forward peak demand forecasts sharply, and analysts warn that wholesale power prices in some regions could climb materially if new generation and transmission do not keep pace. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas has estimated wholesale prices could rise by as much as 50 percent if data center demand doubles within five years.

For the power sector, the numbers translate into a wave of new investment in generation and grid infrastructure. Operators are pursuing power purchase agreements that favor reliable, dispatchable supply, and the scale of projected demand has moved data centers from a niche load to a central factor in national capacity planning, reshaping utility strategy across the country.

Source: S&P Global - https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/electric-power/101425-data-center-grid-power-demand-to-rise-22-in-2025-nearly-triple-by-2030