New Delhi, June 10: The global electricity demand for data centers is projected to increase by 26.4% in 2026, rising from 447 terawatt-hours in 2025 to an anticipated 565 terawatt-hours. This information was revealed in a report released on Wednesday.
According to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights firm, the expected rise in consumption is driven by compute-intensive artificial intelligence workloads, pushing electricity demand to new heights.
Linglan Wang, Director Analyst at Gartner, stated, “The potential of AI now depends on electricity availability. Therefore, ensuring power security for data centers has become a critical issue for advancing in the global AI race and maintaining profitability.”
The report indicates that electricity consumption in data centers is continuously increasing due to AI-optimized servers. By 2026, AI-optimized servers are expected to account for 31% of total electricity consumption in data centers, surpassing traditional servers by 2027.
By 2030, electricity consumption in data centers is projected to exceed 1,200 TWh. This surge in demand will strain grid supply, impacting all data center users.
Wang emphasized, “Infrastructure and operations leaders must enhance their operational methods and prioritize secure grid access. They need to invest in high-efficiency cooling systems and edge computing to mitigate power shortages and ensure sustainable, scalable growth.”
The requirements for cooling and other infrastructure are also rapidly increasing, with estimates of a 22.6% rise in 2026 and a 24.6% increase in 2027.
A recent report highlighted that last year, data centers consumed as much electricity as Saudi Arabia. If electricity usage doubles by 2030, compensating for the resulting carbon footprint would require planting 6.7 billion trees over the next decade.
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