Data centers consumed around 415 terawatt-hours of electricity globally in 2024, about 1.5 percent of world electricity use, according to data from the International Energy Agency. That consumption has grown roughly 12 percent per year since 2017, more than four times faster than total electricity demand, and the agency projects global data center electricity use could exceed 1,000 terawatt-hours in 2026.

The United States holds the largest share of that demand by a wide margin. The IEA data shows the United States accounted for 45 percent of global data center electricity consumption in 2024, ahead of China at 25 percent and Europe at 15 percent. United States data center electricity demand is projected to rise to more than 250 terawatt-hours in 2026, climbing past 300 terawatt-hours in 2027 and approaching 400 terawatt-hours by the end of the decade.

The concentration of growth carries grid implications. The IEA estimates that data centers account for nearly half of United States electricity demand growth between now and 2030, a pace that is reshaping utility planning and prompting new generation and transmission investment. The data frames the United States as the global center of gravity for data center power consumption, with its share of demand growth larger than any other country.

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