Data Centers and Artificial Intelligence: A New Scale of Utilization
The digital economy is one of the largest drivers of electricity demand growth.
Data centers support everything we do, from telehealth and online banking to public safety systems. They are crucial for helping today’s communities thrive. At the same time, intelligence-driven systems are transforming how goods move, spaces operate and networks adapt. By uncovering hidden patterns in supply and demand, they enable more resilient planning, smarter energy use and new efficiencies. Together, these advances are reshaping logistics real estate, moving it beyond location into a dynamic platform for sustainability, innovation and global commerce.
Data centers worldwide are expected to consume 536 TWh in 2025—roughly 2% of global electricity—and could surpass 1,000 TWh by 2030. In the U.S., these critical facilities used approximately 176 TWh in 2023, already 4–5% of national demand and could reach 6.7–12% by 2028.
increase in national electricity demand from data centers by 2028
of energy used in 2023 by data centers in the U.S.
of expected energy consumption from data centers worldwide in 2025
of expected energy demand from data centers wordwide by 2030"
Even at smaller scales, operators are adding behind-the-meter generation to ensure uptime. The U.S. Department of Energy has emphasized that flexible onsite power and storage are key to improving resilience while supporting grid operations. The DOE emphasizes load flexibility, storage integration and utility collaboration as critical to aligning data centers with electricity system needs. Reflecting this shift, the data center generator market is projected to double by 2032, surpassing $2.1 billion annually.
As data centers support nearly every facet of our daily lives, hyperscale campuses are growing in size. A single hyperscale campus might need 50–100 MW of capacity. Right now, there are major interconnection backlogs. Some facilities may wait up to seven years for service while utilities expand capacity. Globally, as many as 20% of planned projects could face delays for lack of timely power access.
In response to the need for reliable, uninterrupted power, operators are adopting power generation at unprecedented levels. A developer in Pennsylvania has proposed a 4,500 MW natural gas facility solely to power data centers, while Indiana’s 1,080 MW Merom coal plant signed a deal to serve a single large customer. OpenAI’s proposed Stargate project envisions 10 data centers, each with about 1,000 MW of dedicated capacity.
