By Aijaz Alam
How much electricity do data centers use?
US data centers used about 4.4% of all US electricity in 2023, or 176 terawatt-hours, according to a Berkeley Lab report for the Department of Energy. Worldwide, the International Energy Agency estimates data centers used 485 TWh in 2025, up 17% in a year, and expects about 950 TWh, around 3% of global electricity demand, by 2030.
- 4.4%Share of all US electricity used by data centersBerkeley Lab for DOE, 2023
- 176 TWhUS data center electricity use, up from 58 TWh in 2014Berkeley Lab for DOE, 2023
- 485 TWhData center electricity use worldwide, up 17% on 2024IEA, 2025
- 6.7% to 12%Projected share of US electricity used by data centers in 2028Berkeley Lab for DOE, projection
- 7%Share of US commercial-sector electricity used by data center serversEIA estimate, 2025
The numbers
The full breakdown
Data center electricity use worldwide (IEA estimates and projections)
| Year | Electricity used | Share of world electricity | IEA report |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | About 415 TWh | About 1.5% | Energy and AI (Apr 2025) |
| 2025 | 485 TWh, up 17% in a year | Not given | Key Questions on Energy and AI (Apr 2026) |
| 2030 (projection) | About 950 TWh | Around 3% of demand | Key Questions on Energy and AI (Apr 2026) |
| 2030 (earlier projection) | Around 945 TWh | Not given | Energy and AI (Apr 2025) |
| 2035 (projection) | Around 1,200 TWh (range 700 to 1,700 TWh) | Not given | Energy and AI (Apr 2025), Base Case |
Estimates and projections, not metered totals. Electricity used by AI-focused data centres grew 50% in 2025 (IEA). In 2024 the United States accounted for 45% of global data centre electricity use, China 25% and Europe 15% (IEA, Energy and AI).
US data center electricity use (Berkeley Lab for the Department of Energy)
| Year | Electricity used | Share of all US electricity |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 58 TWh | Not given in the release |
| 2023 | 176 TWh | About 4.4% |
| 2028 (projection) | 325 to 580 TWh | 6.7% to 12% |
2024 Report on U.S. Data Center Energy Use (announced 20 Dec 2024). Modelled estimates. Data-center power demand more than doubled between 2017 and 2023, largely due to AI servers; the 2028 range depends on how fast AI use and the rest of the economy grow.
Data center servers in US commercial-sector electricity (EIA)
| Year | Servers' share of commercial electricity | Server electricity use |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 (estimate) | 7% | Not given |
| 2050 (projection) | 22% to 33% | 446 to 818 billion kWh |
EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2026 (Today in Energy, 19 May 2026). Servers only, not cooling; the range covers EIA's cases, the top end its High Electricity Demand case.
Why sources differ
Same question, different answers
| Number | When | Who measured | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.4% | 2023 | Berkeley Lab for DOE | All US data centers, as a share of all US electricity use. |
| About 1.5% | 2024 | IEA, Energy and AI | All data centers worldwide, as a share of world electricity consumption. |
| 7% | 2025 | EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2026 | Data center servers only, as a share of the US commercial sector's electricity, not of all US use. |
| 45% | 2024 | IEA, Energy and AI | The US share of the world's data center electricity, not a share of US power. |
These figures look far apart because each divides by something different. Berkeley Lab's 4.4% is all US data centers as a share of everything the US consumes, homes and factories included. The IEA's 1.5% is the same idea for the whole world, where most countries have far fewer data centers per person, so the share is lower even though the total, about 415 TWh in 2024, is more than twice the US figure for 2023.
The EIA's 7% has a smaller denominator and a narrower numerator: only the electricity drawn by servers, without cooling, measured against the commercial sector alone. Because standalone data centers sit inside the commercial sector, their share there is larger than their share of all US power.
All of them are modelled estimates: no agency meters every data center. Projections differ more than estimates, because they depend on how many AI chips are installed and how efficient they become. That is why Berkeley Lab gives a range of 6.7% to 12% for 2028 and the EIA a range of 22% to 33% of commercial electricity for 2050.
What it means
How to use these numbers
Data centers are still a small part of electricity use, but the fastest-growing one. In the US they went from 58 TWh in 2014 to 176 TWh in 2023, about 4.4% of the country's power, and Berkeley Lab expects that to roughly double or triple by 2028. Worldwide, the IEA counts 485 TWh in 2025, with use by AI-focused data centers up 50% in a single year.
The growth is concentrated. The United States used 45% of the world's data center electricity in 2024, and the IEA notes that nearly half of US capacity is in five regional clusters. That is why local grids, not national totals, are where the strain shows first.
For readers comparing claims: check the denominator. A share of all electricity, of commercial electricity or of world demand are different numbers, and a projection range is not a forecast of one value. Quote the year, the publisher and whether it is an estimate or a projection.
Method and sources
How it was measured
Method
- Publishers
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for the US Department of Energy; International Energy Agency; US Energy Information Administration
- Berkeley Lab
- 2024 Report on U.S. Data Center Energy Use: modelled US data center electricity use 2014 to 2023, with scenarios to 2028
- IEA
- Energy and AI (10 Apr 2025) and Key Questions on Energy and AI (16 Apr 2026): modelled global data centre electricity consumption and projections
- EIA
- Annual Energy Outlook 2026, Commercial Demand Model: data center server electricity as a share of commercial-sector use
- Limits
- All figures are estimates or projections; definitions of a data center and of what is counted (servers, cooling) differ
- Checked at source
- 31 Oct 2026 on newscenter.lbl.gov, iea.org and eia.gov
- Last changed
- 31 Oct 2026
- Data files
- CSV · JSON (stable links)
Sources
- United States Data Center Energy Usage Report, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Estimate
- Energy and AI reports, International Energy Agency Estimate
- Today in Energy / Annual Energy Outlook, US Energy Information Administration Official data
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FAQ
More questions people ask
How much electricity does AI use?
The IEA pages read give no single total for AI, but they say electricity consumption from AI-focused data centres surged 50% in 2025, while all data centres grew 17% to 485 TWh.
Which country uses the most data center electricity?
The United States: 45% of global data centre electricity consumption in 2024, followed by China (25%) and Europe (15%), according to the IEA.
How much will data centers use by 2030?
The IEA projects about 950 TWh worldwide in 2030, roughly double 2025 and around 3% of global electricity demand. For the US, Berkeley Lab projects 325 to 580 TWh by 2028.
Is there data by US state?
Not in these sources. The IEA notes that nearly half of US data centre capacity is in five regional clusters, but none of the three publishers gives electricity use state by state.
Every number on this page was checked at its original source (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, International Energy Agency, US Energy Information Administration). Free to cite with a link to this page.