Gartner “Data center power consumption surges 26% this year… 3 times the current level by 2030”

According to data released by Gartner titled ‘Global Data Center Power Capacity and Consumption Forecast 2024-2030, First Quarter 2026 Update’, global data center power consumption is expected to increase from 447 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2025 to 565 TWh in 2026. “As demand for compute-intensive AI workloads surges, data center power consumption is expanding to unprecedented levels,” said Linglan Wang, senior analyst at Gartner. “With AI capabilities now constrained by power availability, securing data center power is becoming a new battleground for scale and profitability in the global AI race.” This year, global data center power demand is expected to reach 132GW, a 27% increase from 104 gigawatts (GW) in 2025.