Pew Research data center energy
Summary
Pew Research analyzes the growth of U.S. data centers, examining their energy consumption, geographical distribution, and potential environmental implications during the AI boom.
Review
The research provides a comprehensive overview of the emerging data center landscape in the United States, highlighting the substantial energy and infrastructure demands driven by artificial intelligence development. The study reveals that data centers consumed 183 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, representing over 4% of the country's total electricity consumption, with projections indicating a 133% growth by 2030. The analysis offers critical insights into the geographical concentration of data centers, with Virginia, Texas, and California hosting a third of the nation's facilities. The research also explores the complex energy ecosystem of these centers, noting that server processing consumes about 60% of electricity, with cooling systems representing a significant additional energy drain. The study raises important questions about the environmental and economic implications of this expansion, including potential electricity bill increases for consumers and the evolving energy sources powering these critical infrastructure components.
Key Points
- Data centers consumed 183 TWh of electricity in 2024, projected to grow 133% by 2030
- Hyperscale data centers can consume electricity equivalent to 100,000 households annually
- Natural gas currently supplies over 40% of electricity for U.S. data centers