# Data centers expected to use 4x more electricity by 2035

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/data-centers-expected-to-use-4x-more-electricity-by-2035/
- Published: 2026-07-21T18:06:38+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-21T18:12:17+00:00
- Original publisher: TechCrunch
- Original article: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/21/data-centers-expected-to-use-4x-more-electricity-by-2035/
- Topics: Asia, World

## Key points

- Data centres may use 20% of US electricity by 2035, quadruple today's level
- AI-driven demand is straining grids like PJM and ERCOT, raising prices
- Global data centre electricity demand could nearly match India's annual usage by 2033

## Summary

A new BloombergNEF report predicts that US data centres will consume roughly one-fifth of the country's generated electricity by 2035, a fourfold increase from current levels, driven largely by surging demand for AI computing power. This matters because it signals a dramatic acceleration in energy demand forecasts, with data centre capacity expected to reach nearly 200 gigawatts within a decade, placing further strain on power grids that are already struggling to keep pace with connection requests.

BloombergNEF's new estimate is 83% higher than its own December forecast, and other bodies including EPRI and S&P have similarly revised their projections sharply upwards. Nearly half of the new capacity will go towards AI training and inference, with the US expected to host 64% of AI chips by power demand by 2033. Grids in the PJM Interconnection (Virginia to Illinois) and ERCOT (Texas) will face particular pressure, with data centres taking up 34% and 22% of capacity respectively; PJM has already seen electricity prices rise 76% over the past year amid the strain, prompting one utility to threaten withdrawal from the network. Globally, aggressive AI adoption could add 1,935 terawatt-hours of new demand by 2033 — nearly matching India's entire annual electricity use.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.