The growth of data centers shows no signs of slowing, given the continued expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning applications, high performance computing, cloud computing, augmented and virtual reality, social media and autonomous vehicles, among other factors. Accompanying the growth of data centers is the parallel growth of its need for power.
Data center load growth has tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple by 2028, according to 2024 Report on U.S. Data Center Energy Use from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and produced by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
U.S. electricity demand is projected to account for data center expansion and the rise of AI applications, domestic manufacturing growth and electrification of different industries. The report finds that data centers consumed about 4.4 percent of total U.S. electricity in 2023 and are expected to consume 6.7-12 percent of total U.S. electricity by 2028.
DOE’s key strategies for meeting data center energy demand include:
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.?
