Is data center electricity demand set to double globally?
Core argument: The IEA says global electricity consumption from data centres, cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligence could double between 2022 and 2026, with energy use from data centres growing rapidly in both the US and China.
Energy use from data centers is growing rapidly in the US, home to a third of the world’s 8,000 data centers, and in China, which has a tenth, according to the IEA. Globally, electricity consumption from data centres, cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligence could double between 2022 and 2026, the IEA also said last month. Morgan Stanley analysts expect generative AI to drive more than three-quarters of global data center power demands in 2027, based on 2022 numbers.

