Data centers consumed an estimated 415 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, about 1.5% of global electricity use, according to the International Energy Agency. The agency projects that figure will more than double to roughly 945 TWh by 2030, just under 3% of total global consumption, driven largely by artificial intelligence workloads.

The United States accounts for the largest share of that growth. IEA analysis projects US data center electricity consumption will rise by around 240 TWh between 2024 and 2030, an increase of about 130%. By comparison, China's data center consumption is projected to grow by roughly 175 TWh (up 170%) and Europe's by more than 45 TWh (up 70%) over the same period.

Electricity demand from AI-focused data centers is the fastest-moving piece of the picture, projected to triple by 2030 and outpace overall data center growth. The IEA notes that in the United States, data centers are on course to account for almost half of the growth in total electricity demand through the end of the decade.

For US utilities and grid planners, the figures underscore the scale of the buildout already underway across states such as Georgia, Virginia, and Texas, where new generation, transmission, and rate structures are being debated to absorb the load. The IEA cautions that uncertainty around how many announced projects are ultimately built remains a key variable for infrastructure investment.

Source: International Energy Agency -- https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai/energy-demand-from-ai