This transformation is not just about technology; it's about the massive energy infrastructure needed to support it. As AI continues to evolve, data centers are becoming the new powerhouses of the global economy, consuming electricity at rates that rival traditional heavy industries.
Data centers, the backbone of the digital age, are experiencing explosive growth. In 2024, these facilities accounted for approximately 1.5 percent of the world's electricity consumption, or 415 terawatt-hours (TWh). The United States leads the charge, consuming 45 percent of the global data center electricity, followed by China at 25 percent and Europe at 15 percent. This surge is not slowing down; by 2030, data center electricity consumption is projected to more than double, reaching around 945 TWh, surpassing Japan's total electricity consumption today.
The scale of this demand is staggering. A typical data center already consumes as much electricity as 100,000 homes. However, the new generation of mega data centers under construction will consume 20 times more, equivalent to adding two million homes to the grid.
In Virginia, the epicenter of industrial data, data centers consume a quarter of the state's electricity. This demand concentration is not evenly distributed, with nearly half of the U.S. data center capacity located in just five regional clusters....<<<Read More>>>...
