IEA publishes updated data-centre electricity figures

The Key Questions on Energy and AI executive summary reports 17% data-centre demand growth in 2025 and a central path from 485 TWh to 950 TWh by 2030.

Event typepublication

Update attached to the IEA Energy and AI analysis vehicle.

IEA central projection485 TWh (2025) to 950 TWh (2030).

2025

485 TWh

2030

950 TWh

New figures on the record

Fact

Global data-centre electricity demand grew by 17% in 2025, according to the IEA summary.

AI-focused data centres grew 50% in 2025 on the same account.

The central projection moves from 485 TWh in 2025 to 950 TWh in 2030.

Why infrastructure debates cite this update

Analysis

Moratorium proposals, grid upgrades and local permitting fights need a shared demand baseline. This publication refreshes that baseline; it does not enact a control.

Limits

The IEA notes bottlenecks and upside cases. Do not treat 950 TWh as a certainty band.

Policy questions

Compute & energy

Should AI data centres face growth controls?

Electricity, water, local consent and national competitiveness are turning compute infrastructure into a policy fight.

Policy asks

adopted

Publish authoritative AI data-centre electricity demand projections

Maintain public, method-stated projections of data-centre and AI-focused electricity demand for grid and infrastructure planning.

Policy vehicles

guidance · Published

IEA Key Questions on Energy and AI

IEA analytical report updating data-centre electricity demand growth for 2025 and projections to 2030.

Evidence

Source basis

Direct sourceOpen evidence record

IEA reports data-centre electricity demand grew 17% in 2025

The IEA executive summary states global data-centre electricity demand grew 17% in 2025 and AI-focused centres grew 50%.

The global electricity demand of data centres – the critical infrastructure for training and running AI models – grew by 17% in 2025, in line with IEA projections. Electricity consumption from AI-focused data centres grew even faster, surging 50% in 2025.

International Energy Agency · IEA Key Questions on Energy and AI · Executive summary

Direct sourceOpen evidence record

IEA projects data-centre electricity near 950 TWh by 2030

The IEA central projection roughly doubles data-centre electricity from 485 TWh in 2025 to 950 TWh in 2030.

Our updated projections see electricity consumption from data centres roughly doubling from 485 TWh in 2025 to 950 TWh in 2030, accounting for around 3% of global electricity demand by that date.

International Energy Agency · IEA Key Questions on Energy and AI · Executive summary