LONDON – Global electricity consumption by data centers is likely to be more than double by 2030 as the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure pushes demand for computing power, claimed Gartner’s report.
The report suggested that by 2030, 40 per cent of electricity used by data centres will be for AI workloads — that equates to the residential electricity needs of all of sub-Saharan Africa (1.3 billion people).
The technology research firm said that data centers worldwide will consume around 448 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2025. That figure is projected to reach 980 TWh by 2030, representing a sharp increase in power requirements over the five-year period.
AI-focused servers are expected to be the biggest contributor to the growth. Their electricity consumption is forecast to climb from 93 TWh in 2025 to 432 TWh by 2030, nearly a fivefold increase.
Gartner projects that AI-optimised servers will account for about 21% of total data center electricity consumption this year. Their share is expected to rise to 44% by 2030, making AI infrastructure responsible for a significant portion of the additional electricity demand.
The United States and China are expected to remain the two largest markets for data center power consumption, together accounting for more than two-thirds of global demand.
The forecast also points to a growing role for alternative energy sources as operators seek to meet rising power requirements while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Gartner said natural gas is likely to remain an important source of electricity for data centers in the short term. However, battery energy storage systems are expected to expand significantly over the next three to five years as operators integrate greater amounts of solar and wind power.
Other technologies, including green hydrogen, geothermal energy and small modular nuclear reactors, are also emerging as potential options for supplying electricity to data center facilities.
The growing power requirements of AI infrastructure are expected to increase pressure on energy systems worldwide, making reliable electricity supplies and long-term power planning increasingly important for the data center industry.
