U.S. data-center electricity use keeps rising toward 325–580 trillion watt-hours
The physical engine behind U.S. AI used three times more electricity in 2023 than in 2014, and federal lab scenarios put 2028 much higher.
Every time you ask AI a question, stream software, or store work in the cloud, it touches a building somewhere that now looks less like the internet and more like heavy industry.
U.S. data centers could use 5.6 to 10 times as much electricity in 2028 as they did in 2014.
- AI demand moving into cloud buildings
- new server and chip shipments
Your AI tools may feel weightless, but the race to power them can show up in your town, your grid, your job market, and eventually your monthly bills.
Behind the numbersOpen
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's 2024 report for the U.S. Department of Energy estimates total U.S. data-center electricity use, meaning electricity used by servers, storage, network equipment, cooling, power systems, and other building infrastructure. It reports 58 TWh in 2014, 76 TWh in 2018, and 176 TWh in 2023. Its 2028 scenario range is 325–580 TWh; the plotted 452.5 TWh value is the midpoint of that published range, not a separate point forecast. The report says forecasts are uncertain because they depend on chip shipments, building schedules, efficiency gains, AI demand, and grid constraints.