AI demand to drive massive global electricity surge up to 8% by 2050

Multiple studies warn that artificial‑intelligence workloads will sharply increase global electricity demand. A Gartner forecast expects AI‑optimized servers to account for 31% of data‑center power use by 2026, pushing overall data‑center consumption up 26% that year. The UN‑University study projects AI‑related data‑center use could reach 945 TWh annually by 2030, while OPEC predicts AI will draw 8% of world electricity by 2050 – a rise from 2% in 2025 to about 4,200 TWh. The surge will also strain water and land resources, with AI‑related water use comparable to the basic needs of 1.3 billion people.

Countries are responding with both policy and technology. Argentina’s CONICET joins the EU‑funded HERON project to develop neuromorphic chips that cut AI power use, backed by €1.2 million. China reports a 1.59 million PFLOPS AI‑focused computing capacity, the world’s second‑largest. In the United States, power‑grid constraints are already limiting AI expansion, prompting renewed interest in large‑scale clean energy, including nuclear. European firms such as Dell highlight AI‑ready infrastructure that emphasizes local processing to reduce latency and energy waste.