Data centre power use to triple by 2030 on AI, cloud boom

APAC demand is expected to outpace other regions.

Data centre power consumption is projected to triple, at a compound annual growth rate of 21.1% from 2024 to 2030, driven by cloud and hybrid adoption.

According to GlobalData, surging data traffic and artificial intelligence’s need for high-density graphics processing units are also contributing

The United States and China remained the largest markets, accounting for 38% and 24.2%, respectively, in 2024.

However, this is expected to shift by 2030, with China projected to surpass the US, reaching about 30.1% and rising further to 33.6%.

Globally, installed capacity is projected to remain at approximately 31% from 2024 through 2030, whilst the Asia-Pacific region is expected to outpace other regions.

The region is supported by accelerating digitalisation, cloud adoption, and sustained infrastructure investment.

Markets including India, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Australia have sizeable project pipelines, with developments spanning the full lifecycle from planning to commissioning.

“With a single hyperscale facility capable of drawing as much power as a small city, this growth is forcing consequential shifts across the power sector,” Rehaan Shiledar, power analyst at GlobalData, said.