Signal IEA projects global data-centre electricity use to more than double by 2030

Summary

The International Energy Agency estimates worldwide data centre electricity demand at about 415TWh in 2024. In its base case the figure reaches roughly 945TWh by 2030 and about 1,200TWh by 2035, with AI identified as the single most important driver. Alternative cases spread the 2030 outcome between about 670TWh and 1,260TWh and the 2035 outcome between about 700TWh and 1,720TWh. A high-efficiency case built on hardware and software savings, a shift to colocation and hyperscale sites and better power usage effectiveness lowers 2035 demand by about 20 percent against the base case. The spread shows how strongly adoption speed and efficiency paths shape the eventual load.