Data Center Energy Use
LBNL 2025 Update, published June 18, 2026 · data as of 2026-06-18 · last verified 2026-08-15
US data centers consumed an estimated 192 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, about 4.7% of total US electricity, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's United States Data Center Energy Usage Report: 2025 Update, the most recent bottom-up estimate available. That share has more than doubled since 2018, when LBNL's prior edition put data centers at 76 TWh and 1.9% of US electricity. Data centers are new demand on a grid that spent 15 years roughly flat, which is why they now dominate arguments about electricity prices, siting, and grid planning.
How fast is data-center electricity use growing?
| Year | Consumption (TWh) | Share of US electricity | Source edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 76 | 1.9% | LBNL 2024 Report (superseded vintage) |
| 2023 | 176 | 4.4% | LBNL 2024 Report (superseded vintage) |
| 2024 | 192 | 4.7% | LBNL 2025 Update |
| 2028 (projected) | 464 | not stated | LBNL 2025 Update, Reference Case |
| 2030 (projected) | 649 (521–843) | 11.8% (9.5–15.3%) | LBNL 2025 Update |
The 2018 and 2023 rows come from the December 2024 edition and are shown for context only: the 2025 Update revised prior-year estimates slightly lower, so the two editions are never plotted as one series. 2024 is the 2025 Update's last historical year; its 2025 values include some projection because IT shipment data extend through 2025 Q3.
LBNL's model is bottom-up: it counts server and AI-accelerator shipments, models per-device power draw and cooling, and adds facility infrastructure.
How much will data centers use by 2030?
Projections, clearly labeled as LBNL's and not ours: the 2025 Update's Reference Case puts data centers at 464 TWh in 2028 and 649 TWh in 2030, which would be 11.8% of forecast US electricity. Its full scenario range for 2030 is 521 to 843 TWh (9.5–15.3%). The Reference Case implies data centers would account for about 33% of all US electricity demand growth from 2024 to 2030, using the NERC 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment's load forecast (2025 Update, p. 8).
LBNL projections of US data center electricity consumption to 2030, TWh
Where are the data centers?
1237 data-center buildings are mapped across the US in PNNL's IM3 atlas, led by Virginia by a wide margin. The point map, state-by-state counts, and the downloadable dataset are on the map page:
How much do Google, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Amazon use?
The companies' own sustainability reports put Google at 32.2 million MWh (2024), Microsoft at 37.0 million MWh (FY2025) and Meta at 18.4 million MWh (2024); Apple reports a much smaller corporate-facilities figure and Amazon discloses no total. Every reported figure, with its boundary and source page:
Big Tech's self-reported energy use →
Do data centers raise electricity prices?
The evidence so far says no, but that could change. A June 2026 causal study by EPRI researchers estimates data centers caused average US retail rates to fall modestly from 2015 to 2024, and state-level comparisons agree there is no positive relationship to date. Both caution that future supply constraints could change that; the evidence, the mechanism, and the caveats are on the dedicated page:
Are data centers raising electricity prices? →
For what actually moves your own bill, see Why is my electric bill so high? PJM's 2026 proposal to curtail new large loads that do not bring their own supply is explained on what is curtailment?
Sources
- LBNL, United States Data Center Energy Usage Report: 2025 Update (June 18, 2026; DOI 10.71468/P1RP4F; CC BY 4.0)
- LBNL, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report (December 2024; superseded vintage, cited for 2018 and 2023 only)
- Energy Factbook, U.S. Energy Facts for total US generation and consumption context
Figures on this page render from a committed, validated dataset
(lbnl_dc_energy.csv) with per-row source pages; the page is rebuilt when LBNL publishes a
new edition. Data as of 2026-06-18, last verified 2026-08-15.