The International Energy Agency projects global data center electricity consumption will roughly double from 485 terawatt hours in 2025 to approximately 950 TWh by 2030, representing about 3% of global electricity demand by that date. The growth is driven primarily by AI-focused infrastructure, with AI data center electricity use surging 50% in 2025 alone.
Nearly half of global data center electricity consumption currently takes place in the United States, with China accounting for 25% and Europe 15%. In Ireland, which serves as a European technology hub, data centers already consume approximately 21% of national electricity supply, with the IEA estimating that share could approach 32% by 2026 as new hyperscale campuses come online.
The largest technology companies spent more than $400 billion in capital expenditure in 2025, with that figure expected to jump by another 75% in 2026 as hyperscalers race to build AI infrastructure. Accelerated server capacity for AI workloads accounts for nearly half of the net increase in global data center electricity consumption projected through 2030. The IEA has urged governments and utilities to accelerate grid infrastructure investment and clean energy permitting to keep pace with the load growth.