US data center energy demand is projected to rise from 224 terawatt-hours in 2025 to 606 terawatt-hours by 2030, according to charted analysis published by Visual Capitalist. At that level, data centers would consume close to 12 percent of total US electricity.

The starting point for the trajectory sits in 2023, when US data centers accounted for 3.7 percent of national power demand. Projections drawn from McKinsey analysis show consumption more than quadrupling by 2030, moving the sector from roughly 4 percent of total US power demand to nearly 12 percent within seven years.

Capacity availability lags the demand curve. Forecasts place the US data center capacity shortfall at 9.3 GW during 2026, rising to 10 GW by 2028. A shortfall of that scale means committed compute demand exceeds the power and facility capacity able to serve it, which pushes tenants toward pre-leasing space years before delivery.

Consumption is unevenly distributed across states. Mapped analysis of data center electricity consumption shows concentration in a small number of markets where transmission access, land availability and tax treatment have combined to attract hyperscale development.

The scale of the shift is the operative figure. An increase from 224 to 606 terawatt-hours over five years represents added load comparable to the total annual electricity consumption of several mid-sized countries, arriving inside a single national grid.

Source: Visual Capitalist - https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/charted-the-energy-demand-of-u-s-data-centers/