Electricity Consumption of Internet Data Centers

Global data centers consumed approximately 460 TWh of electricity in 2025, representing around 1.8% of worldwide electricity demand, with projections to exceed 800 TWh by 2028.

Current Energy Use

Data centers are among the largest electricity consumers globally, driven by servers, storage, networking equipment, and cooling systems. In 2024, U.S. data centers consumed 183 TWh, about 4.4% of national electricity use, while global consumption reached 415 TWh, roughly 1.5% of worldwide electricity demand . By 2025, global consumption rose to an estimated 460 TWh, reflecting the rapid expansion of cloud computing and AI workloads . Peak power demand for the global data center fleet is estimated at 50–60 GW, potentially rising to 130 GW by 2028 .

Factors Influencing Consumption

• IT Equipment: Servers and storage devices account for 40–60% of total facility power .
• Cooling: Cooling systems consume 30–40% of energy, with water-intensive methods requiring billions of gallons annually .
• Efficiency Metrics: Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) measures energy efficiency. The global average PUE is 1.56, while leading hyperscale data centers achieve 1.09, using 84% less overhead energy per unit of IT energy .
• AI Workloads: AI-focused data centers are particularly energy-intensive, with electricity demand projected to triple by 2030 due to large-scale model training and inference tasks .

Regional and Facility Variations

Electricity consumption varies by facility size and location. Small data centers (5,000–20,000 sq. ft.) consume 1–5 MW, medium facilities 5–20 MW, and hyperscale campuses can draw hundreds of MW . In concentrated markets like Northern Virginia, data centers account for a significant portion of local electricity demand, while in Ireland, they consume 22% of national electricity .

Future Projections

Global electricity demand from data centers is expected to double by 2030, reaching 945 TWh, with AI workloads driving a disproportionate share of growth . In the U.S., consumption could rise from 183 TWh in 2024 to over 400 TWh by 2030 . This growth underscores the need for energy-efficient designs, renewable energy integration, and advanced cooling technologies.

Sustainability Considerations

Data centers also impact water resources, with hyperscale campuses withdrawing millions of gallons daily for cooling . Leading tech companies are increasingly adopting renewable energy, nuclear, and geothermal solutions to offset carbon emissions and reduce grid strain . Tracking energy, water, and carbon metrics is critical for sustainable digital infrastructure planning . In summary, internet data centers are major and rapidly growing electricity consumers, with energy use driven by IT equipment, cooling, and AI workloads. Efficiency improvements and renewable energy adoption are essential to manage their environmental footprint while supporting the expanding digital economy.