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Artificial intelligence is expected to cause a major spike in global electricity demands
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According to the International Energy Agency, electricity demand from the data centers powering
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these AI operations and other technological applications is going to more than double
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by the end of this decade. Come 2030, these facilities will require more energy than the
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entire nation of Japan, with those that are optimized for AI projected to quadruple their
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energy use. A typical AI-focused data center can consume as much electricity as 100,000 households
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and some of the largest currently under construction could use up to 20 times more than that
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Since 2017, the energy needs of data centers have grown four times faster than overall electricity
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demand, now accounting for one and a half percent of the world's power use. In the United States
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data centers are projected to drive nearly half of the country's electricity demand growth
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through 2030. By then, electricity used for AI-driven data processing may exceed the combined
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consumption of the U.S. aluminum, steel, cement, and chemical sectors. Additionally, the concentration
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of these facilities may pose more challenges. About 50 percent of new U.S. data centers are
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being developed in already established regional clusters, which could lead to local energy
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bottlenecks. Data centers are also expected to become a major source of emissions, rising from
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180 million tons of CO2 today to 300 million tons in 2035, equivalent to the amount of
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greenhouse gases generated by nearly 70 million gasoline-powered cars. However, the IEA noted
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concerns over AI accelerating climate change appear to be, quote, overstated, and that the
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widespread adoption of this technology could lead to emissions reductions that are far larger than
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those created from data centers. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Jack Almer
