Data centers are expanding in electricity use, server capacity, storage, and water demand. The figures below distinguish measured periods, U.S. estimates, global estimates, and forecasts so the scale of the sector is clear without treating modeled scenarios as observed outcomes.
Key Data Center Statistics
The most broadly useful data center statistics include:
- In 2024, global data centers used about 415 TWh of electricity worldwide, according to an IEA estimate.
- In 2024, data centers represented about 1.5% of world electricity consumption.
- In 2024, the United States accounted for 45% of global data-center electricity consumption.
- In 2024, China accounted for 25% of global data-center electricity consumption.
- From 2017 through 2024, global data-center electricity consumption grew about 12% per year on average.
- By 2030, global data-center electricity consumption is forecast to reach around 945 TWh.
- U.S. data centers used 176 TWh of electricity in 2023.
- In 2023, U.S. data centers represented 4.4% of total U.S. electricity consumption.
- U.S. data-center electricity use is forecast at 325 TWh in the low 2028 scenario.
- U.S. data-center electricity use is forecast at 580 TWh in the high 2028 scenario.
- The U.S. data-center server installed base reached 21 million servers at the end of 2020.
- AI servers represented 1.6 million of the U.S. installed servers at the end of 2020.
- The U.S. installed server base is forecast to reach almost 37 million servers in 2028.
- GPU-accelerated AI-server energy use rose to more than 40 TWh in the United States in 2023.
- About 74% of U.S. data-center servers were in hyperscale or colocation space in 2023.
- The U.S. installed storage base is forecast to approach 340 million drives by the end of 2028.
- Flash storage represented 25% of U.S. installed storage devices in 2023.
- U.S. data centers consumed 66 billion liters of water in 2023.
- Hyperscale U.S. data centers are forecast to consume 60–124 billion liters of water in 2028.
Contents
- Key Data Center Statistics
- Global Data Center Electricity Statistics and Scale
- U.S. Data Center Energy Trends and 2028 Scenarios
- AI Servers, Installed Capacity and Workload Statistics
- Data Center Storage, Networking and Equipment Trends
- Data Center Space, Efficiency and Cooling Measurements
- Data Center Water Use and Regional Demand Forecasts
Global Data Center Electricity Statistics and Scale
The IEA estimates that data centers worldwide consumed about 415 TWh of electricity in 2024, equal to about 1.5% of global electricity consumption. The estimate is global, and the boundary of what counts as a data center, along with data availability, affects precision. IEA, Energy and AI: Executive Summary
| Geography or measure | 2024 estimate | 2030 outlook | Source type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global data-center electricity consumption | 415 TWh | 945 TWh | IEA estimate and base-case forecast |
| United States share of global data-center electricity | 45% | — | IEA estimate |
| China share of global data-center electricity | 25% | — | IEA estimate |
| Europe share of global data-center electricity | 15% | — | IEA estimate |
Global consumption grew about 12% per year on average from 2017 through 2024. The IEA forecasts that consumption will more than double to around 945 TWh by 2030, while noting that this is a base-case forecast rather than an observed outcome. IEA, Energy and AI: Executive Summary
A related IEA measure is electricity generation serving data centers: it is projected to rise from 460 TWh in 2024 to more than 1,000 TWh in 2030, then reach 1,300 TWh in 2035. Generation serving data centers differs from reported data-center electricity consumption, so these measures should not be substituted for one another. IEA, Energy and AI: Energy demand from AI
U.S. Data Center Energy Trends and 2028 Scenarios
Berkeley Lab’s bottom-up estimate puts U.S. data-center electricity use at about 58 TWh in 2014. Annual use was approximately stable at about 60 TWh from 2014 through 2016, then reached about 76 TWh in 2018, or 1.9% of total U.S. electricity consumption. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
By 2023, U.S. data centers used 176 TWh, representing 4.4% of total U.S. electricity consumption. The same report models U.S. server electricity use rising from about 30 TWh in 2014 to nearly 100 TWh in 2023. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
| U.S. measure | Period | Estimate or scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Data-center electricity use | 2014 | 58 TWh |
| Data-center electricity use | 2018 | 76 TWh; 1.9% of U.S. electricity |
| Data-center electricity use | 2023 | 176 TWh; 4.4% of U.S. electricity |
| Low electricity scenario | 2028 forecast | 325 TWh; 6.7% |
| High electricity scenario | 2028 forecast | 580 TWh; 12.0% |
For 2028, Berkeley Lab presents a scenario range of about 325–580 TWh, corresponding to 6.7%–12.0% of total U.S. electricity consumption. The range depends on GPU shipments, operating power, operating time, and cooling assumptions; the percentages are scenario ranges, not observed values. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
The IEA separately projects that data centers could account for nearly half of U.S. electricity-demand growth through 2030. This is a share of demand growth, not a measure of total U.S. electricity use. IEA, Energy and AI: Executive Summary
AI Servers, Installed Capacity and Workload Statistics
The U.S. data-center server installed base was estimated at 14 million servers at the end of 2014 and 21 million at the end of 2020. At the end of 2020, AI servers accounted for 1.6 million, while conventional servers numbered nearly 20 million. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
| U.S. installed server base | Period | Count |
|---|---|---|
| All servers | End of 2014 | 14 million |
| All servers | End of 2020 | 21 million |
| AI servers | End of 2020 | 1.6 million |
| Conventional servers | End of 2020 | Nearly 20 million |
| All servers | 2028 forecast | Almost 37 million |
| AI servers | 2028 forecast | 8–12 million |
Berkeley Lab projects almost 37 million U.S. installed servers by 2028, including 8–12 million AI servers. The range depends on GPU shipment scenarios, so it should be read as a forecast range rather than a single expected count. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
GPU-accelerated AI-server energy use rose from less than 2 TWh in 2017 to more than 40 TWh in 2023 in Berkeley Lab’s modeled U.S. series. Conventional-server electricity use rose from about 30 TWh in 2014 to nearly 60 TWh in 2023, while the broader server-energy series reached nearly 100 TWh in 2023. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
Data Center Storage, Networking and Equipment Trends
The U.S. installed data-center storage base is projected to approach 340 million drives by the end of 2028. Flash storage represented 25% of installed storage devices in 2023 and is projected to reach 41% in 2028. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
| Storage measure | 2014 | 2023 | 2028 forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage-equipment electricity | 7 TWh | 16 TWh | 22 TWh |
| Flash share of installed storage devices | — | 25% | 41% |
| Flash share of storage-equipment electricity | 6% | 25% | 50% |
Storage equipment used 7 TWh of U.S. data-center electricity in 2014 and 16 TWh in 2023; Berkeley Lab projects 22 TWh in 2028. HDDs supplied 94% of storage-equipment electricity in 2014, while flash supplied 6%; by 2023, flash supplied 25%, and it is projected to supply 50% in 2028. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
The storage-device percentages and storage-electricity percentages describe different denominators. Installed-device share measures the composition of the device base, while electricity share measures modeled equipment energy use.
Data Center Space, Efficiency and Cooling Measurements
Berkeley Lab’s 2024 study classification assigns average module sizes of about 11,000 square feet for colocation data-center modules and about 30,000 square feet for hyperscale modules. These are average modules, not entire campuses or facilities. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
About 74% of U.S. data-center servers were in hyperscale or colocation space types in 2023. Berkeley Lab projects those space types to contain 85% of U.S. data-center servers in 2028. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
| Space or efficiency measure | Period | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Colocation module size | 2024 study classification | 11,000 sq. ft. |
| Hyperscale module size | 2024 study classification | 30,000 sq. ft. |
| Servers in hyperscale or colocation space | 2023 | 74% |
| Servers in hyperscale or colocation space | 2028 forecast | 85% |
| Modeled average U.S. site WUE | Through 2023 | Just above 0.36 L/kWh |
| Modeled average U.S. site WUE | Post-2023 forecast | 0.45–0.48 L/kWh |
The modeled average U.S. site WUE stayed just above 0.36 liters per kWh through 2023 and is projected to reach 0.45–0.48 liters per kWh after 2023. Site WUE is a facility-level water-use metric; it is not total water withdrawal or a complete water footprint. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
Infrastructure represented 40% of total U.S. data-center electricity in 2014 and 30% in 2023 in Berkeley Lab’s equipment allocation. The change reflects the study’s modeled allocation across data-center equipment categories, not a direct measurement of every facility. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
Data Center Water Use and Regional Demand Forecasts
U.S. data centers consumed an estimated 21.2 billion liters of water in 2014 and 66 billion liters in 2023. Internal data centers accounted for 64% of U.S. data-center water consumption in 2014, while hyperscale and colocation data centers accounted for 84% in 2023. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
| U.S. water-use measure | Period | Estimate or forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Total data-center water consumption | 2014 | 21.2 billion liters |
| Total data-center water consumption | 2023 | 66 billion liters |
| Internal data-center share | 2014 | 64% |
| Hyperscale and colocation share | 2023 | 84% |
| Internal data-center share | 2028 forecast | 2% |
| Hyperscale water consumption | 2028 forecast | 60–124 billion liters |
For 2028, internal data centers are projected to account for only 2% of U.S. data-center water consumption, while hyperscale U.S. data centers are projected to consume 60–124 billion liters. This is a scenario range dependent on facility mix and cooling technology. Berkeley Lab, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report
The IEA projects that the United States and China together will account for nearly 80% of projected global data-center electricity-consumption growth to 2030. U.S. data-center electricity consumption is projected to increase by around 240 TWh by 2030, about 130% above 2024, while China’s is projected to increase by around 175 TWh, about 170% above 2024. IEA, Energy and AI: Energy demand from AI
These regional figures are IEA base-case forecasts. They describe electricity-consumption growth, not water consumption, and should not be combined with Berkeley Lab’s U.S. water scenarios as if they were the same measurement.