US Data Center Power Demand to Surge 253% by 2035 to 194 GW
US data center electricity consumption is projected to jump 253% from 2026 levels to a record 194 gigawatts by 2035, claiming roughly 20% of national power use.
Data center power demand in the United States is forecast to reach 194 gigawatts by 2035, a 253% surge from 2026 levels. One gigawatt is roughly equivalent to the capacity of a single traditional nuclear reactor.
These facilities are expected to consume around 20% of US electricity by 2035, up from approximately 6% today. By 2030, that share is estimated to hit 12%.
The growth is concentrated in certain grid regions, with PJM — serving the District of Columbia and 13 states including Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio — among those facing the steepest increases.
Electricity supply is increasingly seen as the next bottleneck for AI expansion.
Source: The Kobeissi Letter