Technology companies are consuming rapidly increasing amounts of electricity as AI expansion drives big growth in data center energy needs. Data centers power modern digital services and require exponentially more electricity than earlier technologies, creating unprecedented stress on electrical grids. There were 5,426 data centers nationally as of March 2025. Collectively these centers consumed about 17 gigawatts of power in 2022, up from 7.9 GW in 2014. AI-specific servers are estimated to have used between 53 and 76 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, enough to power over 7.2 million U.S. homes for a year. Major tech firms are increasingly exploring nuclear power to meet demand.
Despite serving a valuable purpose to us all, tech companies face increasing scrutiny as they consume ever-larger amounts of electricity. The artificial intelligence boom has made questions about the environmental impact of digital technology increasingly relevant in everyday conversation because the demand for energy in data centers will raise energy prices for all. Data centers are the backbone of the internet.
Keeping AI models and the new digital services they offer just a click away requires exponentially more electricity than earlier technologies. The rapid growth of AI-powered data centers is creating unprecedented stress on electrical grids. There were 5,426 data centers nationally as of March 2025, and the number is skyrocketing. Collectively, these centers consumed about 17 gigawatts (GW) of power in 2022, up from 7.9 GW in 2014
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