2 posts
Energy
Electricity, grids, gas turbines and nuclear restarts: where AI's power comes from.
415 TWh today, 945 by 2030: the IEA numbers behind the data-centre panic
The International Energy Agency puts global data-centre electricity at 415 TWh in 2024, about 1.5% of world demand, and projects 945 TWh by 2030. Here is what sits inside those figures and why the range around them is wide.
Data centres used 4.4% of US electricity in 2023. 12% by 2028?
Berkeley Lab's report for the Department of Energy is the most cited US figure: 176 TWh in 2023 and a 2028 range from 325 to 580 TWh. What explains a range that wide, and what would each end mean for the grid.