How much energy do data centers and artificial intelligence use?
This article from Our World in Data analyzes the energy consumption of data centers and artificial intelligence (AI). According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centers consumed approximately 485 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2025, representing about 1.5% of global electricity generation. AI-focused data centers accounted for roughly one-third of that total, or about 0.5% of global electricity. The article notes that AI energy demand is dominated by inference (running models) rather than training. Projections indicate that by 2030, total data center electricity use could rise to 945 TWh (3% of global electricity), with AI centers nearly tripling their share. The analysis addresses three key concerns: environmental impact (carbon emissions), local community effects (strained supplies and higher prices), and AI's growth bottleneck. The data excludes cryptocurrency mining and end-user device energy.
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