Data centers worldwide used 485 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2025, and the International Energy Agency projects that will nearly double to 950 TWh by 2030, about 3% of global demand. The United States accounted for 45% of data center electricity use in 2024, and U.S. data centers used 176 TWh in 2023, 4.4% of the country's power. Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta together expect to spend at least $720 billion on capital projects in 2026, much of it on AI infrastructure.
485 TWhGlobal data center electricity use, 2025
950 TWhIEA projection for 2030
45%U.S. share of data center power use, 2024
1,360Hyperscale data centers in operation, end of 2025
How much electricity data centers use
- IEA's 2026 update: data center electricity use was 485 TWh in 2025 and is projected to reach 950 TWh in 2030 (about 3% of global demand). (IEA, Key Questions on Energy and AI)
- Data-center electricity demand grew 17% in 2025; AI-focused data centers surged 50%. (IEA, Key Questions on Energy and AI)
- Data centers used about 415 TWh in 2024, about 1.5% of global electricity. (IEA, Energy and AI)
- IEA (2025) projected data center electricity use to more than double to about 945 TWh by 2030, slightly more than Japan's total use today. (IEA, Energy and AI)
- The U.S. accounted for 45% of global data center electricity use in 2024, China 25%, Europe 15%. (IEA, Energy and AI)
- In the U.S., data centers account for nearly half of electricity demand growth to 2030. (IEA, Energy and AI)
- IEA Base Case: U.S. data center consumption rises by about 240 TWh (+130%) from 2024 to 2030. (IEA, Energy and AI)
U.S. data center power demand
Forecasts for U.S. demand vary widely because they depend on how fast AI computing grows. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory puts 2028 use at 325 to 580 TWh, and EPRI expects 9% to 17% of U.S. electricity to go to data centers by 2030.
- U.S. data centers used 176 TWh in 2023, 4.4% of total U.S. electricity. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report)
- LBNL projects 325–580 TWh in 2028, 6.7%–12.0% of forecast U.S. electricity. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report)
- EPRI projects data centers will consume 9%–17% of U.S. electricity by 2030, up from 4%–5% today. (EPRI, Powering Intelligence 2026)
- EPRI projects U.S. data center use of 383 TWh (Low) to 793 TWh (High) by 2030; 177–192 TWh in 2024. (EPRI, Powering Intelligence 2026)
- EIA: data center servers used about 7% of U.S. commercial-sector electricity in 2025, rising to 22%–33% by 2050. (U.S. EIA, Today in Energy)
- EIA expects record U.S. electricity sales of 4,135 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026 and 4,211 billion kilowatt-hours in 2027, driven by data centers and manufacturing. (U.S. EIA, Short-Term Energy Outlook)
Data center water use
- U.S. data centers directly consumed 66 billion liters of water in 2023 (up from 21.2 billion in 2014); hyperscale and colocation were 84%. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report)
- The indirect water footprint of U.S. data centers' electricity use is nearly 800 billion liters. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report)
- Hyperscale data centers are expected to consume 60–124 billion liters of water directly in 2028. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report)
AI data center spending
The largest cloud companies have raised spending plans repeatedly to build AI capacity.
| Company | Expected 2026 capital spending |
|---|---|
| Amazon | About $220 billion |
| Alphabet | $195–205 billion |
| Microsoft | About $175 billion (calendar 2026) |
| Meta | $130–145 billion |
Company guidance from 2026 earnings releases and calls. Microsoft's figure reflects its lease reclassification; Meta's includes finance-lease principal.
- Capital spending of five large tech companies exceeded $400 billion in 2025 and is set to rise a further 75% in 2026. (IEA press release)
- Amazon expects about $220 billion in 2026 cash capital spending, up from about $200 billion, mostly for AI and AWS. (Amazon Q2 2026 earnings call)
- Alphabet raised 2026 capital spending guidance to $195–205 billion (from $180–190 billion). (Alphabet Q2 2026 earnings call transcript)
- Microsoft expects calendar-2026 capital spending of approximately $175 billion (after lease reclassification); FY26 Q4 capital spending was $41 billion. (Microsoft FY26 Q4 earnings call)
- Meta expects 2026 capital spending of $130–145 billion (including finance-lease principal). (Meta Q2 2026 results)
How many data centers there are
- 21 major operators had 1,360 operational hyperscale data centers at end-2025, 580 in the U.S.; 803 more in the pipeline. (Synergy Research Group)
- Hyperscale operators account for 48% of worldwide data center capacity (Synergy). (Synergy Research Group)
- Data Center Map listed 12259 active data centers worldwide in August 2026. (Data Center Map)
- Data Center Map listed 4767 data centers in the United States in August 2026. (Data Center Map)
Careers in AI infrastructure
Building and running AI data centers takes network architects, systems administrators, security staff and engineers who understand AI workloads.
See pay for these roles in our highest-paying cybersecurity jobs list and AI salary guide, or compare AI degrees.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity do data centers use?
Data centers worldwide used 485 TWh in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency, which projects 950 TWh by 2030.
How much electricity do U.S. data centers use?
176 TWh in 2023, or 4.4% of U.S. electricity, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It projects 325 to 580 TWh by 2028.
How much water do data centers use?
U.S. data centers directly consumed 66 billion liters of water in 2023, up from 21.2 billion in 2014, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
How many data centers are in the United States?
Data Center Map listed 4,767 U.S. data centers in August 2026. Synergy Research counted 580 U.S. hyperscale data centers at the end of 2025.
How much are tech companies spending on AI data centers?
Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta expect to spend at least $720 billion combined on capital projects in 2026, based on their own guidance.
Sources
We use primary sources wherever they exist: government data, the original survey or report, and company filings. News coverage is used only when it reports a company's own statement. Survey figures describe the people surveyed, and forecasts are labeled as predictions.
- IEA, Key Questions on Energy and AI (2026) – Executive summary
- IEA, Energy and AI (2025) – Executive summary
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
- Amazon Q2 2026 earnings call (transcript via StockAnalysis)
- Alphabet Q2 2026 earnings call transcript (Alphabet IR)
- Microsoft FY26 Q4 earnings call (Microsoft Investor Relations)
- Meta Q2 2026 results (SEC Exhibit 99.1)
- Synergy Research Group
- IEA, Energy and AI – Energy demand from AI
- EPRI, Powering Intelligence 2026 – Executive Summary
- EPRI, Powering Intelligence 2026 – Annual and Peak Electricity Use
- U.S. EIA, Today in Energy (AEO2026)
- U.S. EIA, Short-Term Energy Outlook
- IEA press release (16 April 2026)
- Data Center Map (live check 2026-08-25)