Data‑centre power crunch
Analysts warn AI workloads will push electricity demand for global data centres far higher and shift new capacity inland to regions with cheaper, more reliable power. Goldman Sachs is cited as forecasting a roughly 220% rise in data‑centre electricity demand by 2030, and site-selection trends show hyperscale growth moving to Texas and the US Midwest where grid access is stronger ( ). Operators are already expanding capacity in response — Flexential is adding a fifth Atlanta‑area data centre as regional demand accelerates (prnewswire.com).
Data centers are being built where electricity is easiest to secure, as artificial intelligence systems push power demand far beyond earlier forecasts. (goldmansachs.com) Goldman Sachs said on March 4 that it now expects global data-center electricity demand to rise 220% by 2030 from 2023 levels, up from its earlier 175% forecast. The bank tied the revision to rising hyperscaler reinvestment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. (goldmansachs.com) A data center is a warehouse of servers, and artificial intelligence training and inference pack more chips into each building and draw more power per rack. Goldman Sachs said the jump in power use is being driven by the spread of artificial intelligence and the productivity of servers and compute. (goldmansachs.com) The site-selection map is shifting with that demand. Data Center Knowledge reported on April 13 that Texas and the Midwest are set to capture more than half of new United States hyperscale capacity, even though those regions account for about one-third of current capacity. (datacenterknowledge.com) Synergy Research Group found 580 operational hyperscale data centers in the United States at the end of 2025, with 437 more in the domestic development pipeline out of 803 planned globally. John Dinsdale of Synergy said power availability has become the dominant factor in choosing new sites, ahead of network proximity. (datacenterknowledge.com) The buildings themselves are getting bigger as operators chase denser computing loads. Data Center Knowledge reported that the average capacity of new data centers opening over the next three years will be almost double the average size of facilities already in operation. (datacenterknowledge.com) Utilities and grid planners are dealing with the same pressure across the wider power system. The International Energy Agency said in its February 6 “Electricity 2026” report that artificial intelligence and data centers are among the fastest-growing sources of electricity demand and that grids will need more flexibility through 2030. (iea.org) Operators are already adding capacity in markets that still have room to grow. Flexential said on April 14 that it will build a 48,000-square-foot, 4.5-megawatt facility in Norcross, Georgia, its fifth Atlanta-area data center, with the site expected to come online in the first half of 2028. (flexential.com) That project will lift Flexential’s Atlanta footprint to about 800,000 square feet and 73 megawatts, served by Georgia Power. The company said its national portfolio now includes more than 40 data centers and 360 megawatts online or under development across 18 United States markets. (flexential.com) The near-term contest is no longer just about land and fiber routes. It is about which regions can deliver enough reliable electricity, fast enough, for the next wave of artificial intelligence computing. (datacenterknowledge.com)
