A report released by Russia’s Exhibition Foundation on artificial intelligence development and global energy transition stated that China’s data center electricity consumption could double by 2027. This presents significant challenges for the country’s energy system transformation, Russian state media outlet Sputnik News wrote.
The report highlights that global data center energy consumption is growing at an alarming rate of 12-15% annually. By 2024, worldwide data center electricity usage has reached levels equivalent to France’s entire economic energy consumption, underscoring the massive scale of this technological infrastructure’s power demands.
Several countries are approaching critical thresholds for data center electricity usage. In the United States, data centers currently consume 4% of the national electricity supply, with projections indicating this could surge to between 6.7% and 12% by 2028. Ireland presents an even more dramatic case, where data centers already account for 20% of the country’s total electricity consumption.
The report emphasizes that current electrical grids cannot sustain such dramatic load increases without substantial investment in the power sector. Without adequate funding for infrastructure upgrades, electricity prices could rise significantly across major economies: 8.6% in the United States, 5.3% in China, and 3.6% in Europe by 2030.
To address the anticipated doubling of data center power consumption by 2027, China is implementing a comprehensive data center development strategy with approximately $6 billion in total investment. This massive undertaking aims to significantly expand the country’s power generation capacity to meet growing demand.
The global data center construction boom is also driving increased demand for critical mineral resources, adding another layer of complexity to the energy transition challenge.
Source: Sputnik News, May 29, 2025
https://sputniknews.cn/20250529/1065730455.html