U.S. Data-Center Power Demand to Double by 2035 as AI Drives Electricity Crisis

BloombergNEF forecasts U.S. data-center electricity consumption will climb from 35 gigawatts in 2024 to 78 gigawatts by 2035, driven by AI workloads. The International Energy Agency warns data centers could consume power at a scale comparable to major national electricity consumers. The Trump administration is fast-tracking data-center construction as a national security priority, accelerating permitting without addressing the underlying power efficiency problem.