The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is driving a significant increase in the number of data centers across the United States. This growth is placing mounting pressure on the nation’s power grid, raising concerns about the future of electricity availability and transmission capacity.
Data centers, which house the servers and infrastructure needed for AI processing, are expected to account for nearly 9% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2030. Across six states, these facilities account for over 10% of total energy consumption.
In Virginia, data centers use more than 25% of the state’s total electricity, making it the national leader in energy demand for these facilities. This surge in demand is also pronounced in Ohio, where projections indicate that the energy requirements of new data centers could be equivalent to the needs of three cities the size of New York. In some cases, electricity requests from these facilities can exceed the amount required to power an entire city, such as San Francisco.
The growing competition for electricity created bottlenecks, as utilities are sometimes forced to delay grid connections to new data centers in order to assess and expand capacity, with some tech companies now facing years-long wait times. In response, utilities are considering increasing prices and offering long-term contracts to fund grid expansions and maintain a stable energy supply.
As AI technologies continue to evolve and more data centers come online, experts warn that without significant investment in power grid upgrades, these challenges will likely intensify. This could lead to higher costs not only for tech companies but also for consumers.
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