US data centers are on track to consume about 8.6% of the nation's electricity by 2035, roughly double their current share, as artificial intelligence drives one of the largest surges in power demand in decades, according to BloombergNEF. The research group's latest forecast puts data center power requirements at about 106 gigawatts by 2035.
December 2025 · BloombergNEF Forecast
AI Is About to Double Data Centers' Bite Out of the US Power Grid
US data centers are projected to consume roughly 8.6% of the nation's electricity by 2035 — about double today's share — reaching some 106 GW of capacity as AI drives one of the biggest demand shocks the grid has faced in a generation.
106 GW
Projected US data center capacity by 2035
+36%
Upward revision since April 2025 (was 78 GW)
~3×
Rise in avg. hourly demand: 16.2 → 49.1 GWh
Share of US Electricity Demand
Data centers roughly double their slice of the grid.
Globally, data centers are seen reaching ~4.5% of world electricity by 2035 — a footprint that alone would trail only China, the US and India.
The Constraint Is the Grid, Not the Appetite
31 GW
PJM (eastern US) demand by 2030 — matching new capacity coming online
~⅓
Share of capacity from gigawatt-scale campuses by 2035 (20% by 2030)
~7 yrs
To build some individual sites; ERCOT reserve risk from 2028
Interconnection queues run several years to more than a decade in states like Virginia and Texas — much of the announced pipeline stays speculative until projects clear them.
Industry supporters
Durable, high-value demand for power producers
Large developers drive a big share of corporate renewable purchases via PPAs
Critics warn
Concentrated growth may push up prices for other customers
Strain on local water supplies used for cooling
Load outpacing the grid's ability to connect it
Many forecasters — Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, BCG, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab — call the 106 GW figure conservative . With about 23.1 GW under construction worldwide as of September 2025 (roughly three-quarters in the US), the real test is how fast power, permits and transmission can be built.
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