Global Data Centre Electricity Demand To Surge 26.4 Per Cent In 2026 As AI Workloads Drive Power Consumption: Gartner
Global data centre electricity demand is projected to rise 26.4% to 565TWh in 2026 from 447TWh in 2025, according to Gartner. The increase is being driven by AI workloads and AI-optimised servers. Data centre power demand is expected to reach 132GW in 2026 and could climb to 290GW by 2030, intensifying concerns over energy supply and sustainability.
Rising adoption of AI-powered computing is expected to significantly increase electricity consumption across global data centres in 2026 | IANS - Representational Image
New Delhi, June 10: Global electricity demand for data centres is pegged to jump 26.4 per cent in 2026, with consumption rising to 565 terawatt hours, up from 447 TWh in 2025, a report said on Wednesday.
ai workloads driving surge in demand
The estimated surge in consumption was attributed to compute-intensive artificial intelligence workloads pushing power needs to unprecedented levels, the report from business and technology insights company Gartner, Inc. said.
The report said that data centre power demand will reach 132 gigawatts in 2026, up from 104 gigawatts in 2025, with projections of 290 gigawatts by 2030, reflecting the unprecedented scale and pace of GenAI boosting demand.
“AI capacity is now constrained by power availability, making data centre power security the new battleground for scaling and protecting margins in the global AI race,” said Linglan Wang, director analyst at Gartner.
ai-optimised servers and energy consumption
AI-optimised servers continue to fuel the increase in data centre power consumption. The report estimated AI-optimised server adoption to account for 31 per cent of data centre power consumption in 2026 and predicted that by 2027 their power consumption will surpass that of conventional servers.
With data centre electricity consumption estimated to reach over 1,200 TWh by 2030, grid supply will be insufficient to meet the demands of future data centre construction, affecting all users.
efficiency and sustainability measures
“Infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders must prioritise efficiency upgrades and secure grid access. They also need to invest in high-efficiency cooling systems and edge computing to mitigate power constraints and ensure sustainable, scalable growth,” said Wang.
Also Watch:
Cooling and other infrastructure needs are also rising sharply, at 22.6 per cent in 2026 and 24.6 per cent in 2027.
A recent report said that data centres consumed as much electricity as Saudi Arabia last year and that, if electricity use doubles by 2030, the associated carbon footprint would require 6.7 billion trees grown over ten years to offset the demand.
(Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
RECENT STORIES
-
-
-
-
-