Electricity demand from U.S. data centers is rising fast enough to reshape utility planning across the country. Power demand from these facilities is expected to climb from 31 gigawatts in 2025 to 41 gigawatts in 2026, with year-over-year capacity additions reaching 13.6 gigawatts this year and a projected 36.3 gigawatts in 2027.
The facilities already draw a substantial share of national supply. More than 4,500 U.S. data centers consume roughly 176 terawatt-hours annually, about 4.4 percent of all electricity, with over 700 more under construction across 38 states. Data centers' share of peak summer power demand is projected to rise from 4.1 percent in 2025 to 5.3 percent in 2026.
Utilities are accelerating infrastructure investment to keep pace. Analysts warn that the incremental tightening will affect electricity prices and grid stability, with reliability risks elevated in the Mid-Atlantic, Mid-Continent, and Northwest, where planned generation additions lag the flood of incoming demand.
Longer-term projections underscore the scale of the shift. Data centers are expected to consume between 9 and 17 percent of U.S. electricity by 2030, up from 4 to 5 percent today, and total data center demand could reach 176 gigawatts by 2035, a fivefold jump from 2024. The forecasts have pushed utilities and grid operators to weigh new generation, including natural gas and nuclear, alongside transmission upgrades.
Source: Goldman Sachs -- https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/us-data-center-power-demand-projected-to-double-by-2027