Global Data Centres and Internet Infrastructure: Electricity Use to 2030

Data centres are the physical base of cloud and internet services, and AI is now the main driver of their electricity demand. The IEA estimates they used around 415 TWh in 2024, about 1.5% of world electricity consumption [1]. Global investment in data centres has nearly doubled since 2022 and reached about half a trillion USD in 2024 [1].

A typical AI-focused data centre uses as much electricity as 100,000 households. The largest ones under construction will use 20 times as much [1].

Data centre electricity use has grown by around 12% a year since 2017. That is more than four times faster than total electricity consumption [1].

In 2024 the United States accounted for 45% of global data centre electricity use, China for 25% and Europe for 15% [1]. Together, the United States and China account for nearly 80% of projected global growth to 2030 [2].

• United States: up about 240 TWh by 2030, or 130% above 2024 [2]
• China: up about 175 TWh, or 170% [2]
• Europe: up more than 45 TWh, or 70% [2]
• Japan: up about 15 TWh, or 80% [2]

Nearly half of US data centre capacity sits in five regional clusters [1].

In the IEA Base Case, data centre electricity use roughly doubles to around 945 TWh by 2030. That is just under 3% of global electricity use in 2030 [2]. Consumption grows by about 15% a year from 2024 to 2030 [2]. The Base Case reaches about 1,200 TWh by 2035 [1].

On the supply side, the IEA projects that electricity generated for data centres will rise from 460 TWh in 2024 to over 1,000 TWh in 2030 [3]. Renewables meet about half of the growth in demand. Natural gas adds 175 TWh to 2035, and nuclear adds about the same [1].

The IEA estimates that around 20% of planned data centre projects could face delays unless grid risks are addressed [1]. New transmission lines take four to eight years to build in advanced economies, and wait times for transformers and cables have doubled in the past three years [1].

Figures come from the IEA special report Energy and AI (2025): its executive summary, the Energy demand from AI chapter and the Energy supply for AI chapter [1][2][3]. Consumption values are final electricity use in TWh. Values for 2030 and 2035 are IEA Base Case projections, not actual data. Generation for data centres (460 TWh in 2024) is higher than consumption (415 TWh) because it is measured at a different point.

FREEE.REPORT calculation: the "Rest of world" share in the 2024 donut chart is 100% minus the shares the IEA gives for the United States (45%), China (25%) and Europe (15%), which leaves 15%. TeleGeography submarine cable data was not checked for this edition.