The Rising Share of U.S. Data Center Power Demand, 2023–2030
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, U.S. data center demand only accounted for 3.7% of America’s total power usage.
- By 2030, McKinsey & Company projected that electricity consumption from U.S. data centers could reach 11.7% of all U.S. power.
- In 2030, U.S. data centers are projected to consume 606 terawatt-hours of electricity.
Data centers are pivotal to America’s digital infrastructure. These huge complexes, which form the backbone of U.S. telecommunication and access to the internet, already consume vast amounts of electricity. However, by 2030, this share of electricity is set to triple.
For this graphic, the third in the Electrification Series, Visual Capitalist has partnered with Global X ETFs to show how much of America’s electricity data centers will consume in the future.
Forecasting Data Center Power Consumption
The consulting firm McKinsey & Company projected in 2024 that power consumption from U.S. data centers will grow rapidly over the next few years.
Below is a table showing the percentage share of all U.S. energy that McKinsey & Company forecast data centers to consume between 2023 and 2030:
| Year | Electricity Demand (TWh) | Share of total U.S. Power Demand (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 147 | 3.7 |
| 2024P | 178 | 4.3 |
| 2025P | 224 | 5.2 |
| 2026P | 292 | 6.5 |
| 2027P | 371 | 8.0 |
| 2028P | 450 | 9.3 |
| 2029P | 513 | 10.3 |
| 2030P | 606 | 11.7 |
American data centers are incredibly power-hungry. In 2023, they demanded 3.7% of all the U.S. power demand.
However, as the demand for advanced AI grows and many more Americans come online, the demand will reach nearly 12% of all U.S. power use. Equating to 606 terawatt-hours of electricity.
In context, the UK consumed half this amount of electricity in 2023.
Investing in Power
Data centers form the backbone of U.S. digital infrastructure, connecting America to the global internet, powering telecommunications, and facilitating the most advanced AIs.
U.S. data centers will triple their share of power use by 2030.
Do you want to learn more about electricity demand and electrification?
In the first part of the Electrification Series, we covered which areas of U.S. infrastructure require the most funding. In the second, we explored U.S. electricity demands by sector and projected them to 2050.