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AI boom drives global surge in data center energy and cooling demands
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is driving a massive surge in global energy demand, particularly for data centers. In China, electricity consumption for data centers is forecasted to quadruple to 774 TWh by 2030. Globally, the International Energy Agency projects data center electricity use to rise from 485 TWh in 2025 to approximately 950 TWh by 2030.
This energy crisis is prompting a shift in power solutions. Hyperscalers are increasingly looking toward nuclear energy, including small modular reactors (SMRs), to provide the reliable, continuous baseload power required for AI workloads. To manage high power densities, companies like Delta Electronics are developing 800 VDC power architectures to improve efficiency and reduce transmission losses.
Thermal management is also becoming critical. As AI workloads increase heat, the industry is moving toward liquid cooling for both CPUs and SSDs to prevent performance throttling and system failures. Meanwhile, data center operators like CyrusOne are implementing modular, scalable power infrastructure to address grid connection challenges and rising capacity needs.
Entities
Analog Devices · Copernicus Climate Change Service · CyrusOne · Delta Electronics · Dow · International Energy Agency · JLL · Solidigm · Western Digital · Wood Mackenzie
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] CyrusOne's FRA6 facility in Frankfurt features a modular substation with a nominal power of 150 MVA. www.datacenter-insider.de
- [○ 1 SOURCE] SSD power consumption per drive has increased from 25W to 60W as PCIe protocols advance. www.dimsumdaily.hk
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Global data center electricity use is projected to rise from 485 TWh in 2025 to approximately 950 TWh by 2030. datacentrereview.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] An 800 VDC power architecture can reduce the busbar volume in AI cabinets by approximately 14 times compared to traditional 54V architectures. technews.tw
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A single hyperscale data center can consume as much electricity as 50,000 homes. agenparl.eu
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Western Digital's annual revenue increased by 36% to $12.9 billion. www.fool.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Global data center capacity is predicted to grow from 103 GW to 200 GW by 2030. datacentrereview.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] China's data center electricity consumption is forecasted to reach 774 TWh by 2030. www.saurenergy.com