Data Centers to Consume 950 TWh by 2030, Surpassing Bitcoin

Data centers consumed 485 TWh of electricity in 2025, a 17% increase from the previous year. Their electricity demand is expected to double to around 950 TWh by 2030, driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projected that this consumption will represent nearly 3% of global electricity, comparable to Japan's current consumption. The IEA anticipates that the consumption of data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence will triple between 2025 and 2030, with an annual growth of accelerated servers at 30%. The United States and China will account for nearly 80% of the expected increase by 2030, with the United States responsible for almost half of the growth in electricity demand. In comparison, Bitcoin mining consumes around 138 TWh annually, meaning that data centers already consume three times more electricity than Bitcoin mining. This competition for low-cost electricity is leading some Bitcoin operators to repurpose or lease facilities for artificial intelligence workloads, reflecting a shift in the mining industry. The difference in scale between the two sectors presents a new scenario in the energy debate.