Gartner Says Electricity Demand for Data Centres to Grow 16% in 2025 and Double by 2030

• Data Centre Electricity Consumption to Rise from 448 TWh in 2025 to 980 TWh in 2030
• Adoption of AI-Optimised Servers to Account for 44% of Data Centre Power Consumption by 2030

November 18, 2025 — Electricity demand for data centres worldwide is projected to grow 16% in 2025 and to double by 2030, according to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.

Gartner analysts estimate worldwide data centre electricity consumption will rise from 448 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2025 to 980 TWh by 2030.

"While conventional servers and supporting infrastructure contribute to overall data centre electricity consumption, the rapid rise of AI-optimised servers is fueling the increase in data centre power consumption," said Linglan Wang, Research Director at Gartner. "Their electricity usage is set to rise nearly fivefold, from 93 TWh in 2025 to 432 TWh in 2030."

In 2025, AI-optimised servers are projected to represent 21% of total centre power usage and 44% by 2030. In 2030, they will represent 64% of the incremental power demand for data centres (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Data Centre Electricity Consumption Summary, 2025-2030

Source: Gartner (November 2025)

U.S. and China Remain Leaders in AI infrastructure Buildout

Regionally, the U.S. and China will account for more than two-thirds of electricity demand from data centres, with China better positioned due to more power-efficient servers and superior infrastructure planning. The U.S. data centre electricity usage is projected to rise from 4% to 7.8% of regional consumption between 2025 and 2030, with Europe increasing from 2.7% to 5%. Growth in China and Asia/Pacific is expected to be more moderate.

The Future of Clean Data Centre Power

The current situation of fossil fuels dominating on-site power generation is not sustainable. New clean on-site power alternatives — such as green hydrogen, geothermal and small modular reactors (SMRs) — are beginning to emerge and will become viable fuel alternatives for data centre microgrids by the end of the decade. 

"In the near term, natural gas will lead as the main power source for data centres," said Tony Harvey, VP Analyst at Gartner. "However, within the next 3 to 5 years, we anticipate rapid growth in battery energy storage systems (BESS) to balance the fluctuations of solar and wind energy. While geothermal microgrids offers great promise, its high initial costs and permitting challenges will likely keep it a niche option for now."

Gartner clients can read more in Forecast Analysis: Data Centre Power Consumption.

Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conference

Gartner analysts are providing additional analysis on cloud strategies and infrastructure and operations trends at the Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conferences taking place this week in London. 

Additional dates and locations include December 2-4 in Tokyo and December 9-11 in Las Vegas. Follow news and updates from these conferences on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerIO.

About Gartner AI Use Case Insights

Gartner AI Use Case Insights is an interactive tool that helps technology and business leaders efficiently discover, evaluate, and prioritise AI use cases to potentially pursue. Clients can search over 500 use cases (applications of AI in specific industries) and over 380 case studies (real world examples) based on industry, business function, and Gartner's assessment of potential business value. Clients can access the interactive tool at https://tools.gartner.com/use-case-insights.

About Gartner for Infrastructure & IT Operations Leaders

Gartner for Infrastructure & IT Operations Leaders helps heads of I&O reinvent how they deliver value for the business. Additional information is available at https://www.gartner.com/en/infrastructure-and-it-operations-leaders.

Follow news and updates from Gartner for Infrastructure & IT Operations Leaders on X and LinkedIn. Visit the Gartner Newsroom for more information and insights.

About Gartner

Gartner (NYSE: IT) delivers actionable, objective business and technology insights that drive smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organisation's mission-critical priorities. To learn more visit gartner.com.