Data centers to consume 4 times more electricity by 2035 - the projection aligns with the moratoria

Ongoing story : Le mur électrique de l'IA : data centers, grid, capex béton· Part 8/22

Infra & Compute Jul 22, 2026 at 12:415Add to bookmarks

Data centers to consume 4 times more electricity by 2035 - the projection aligns with the moratoria — Illustration : Léa Fontaine

A new projection: data center consumption could quadruple by 2035. This is the quantified translation of what NY, Dublin, or grid ops have been saying for six months.

The fact - A report relayed by TechCrunch on July 21, 2026, projects a ~4x increase in the electricity consumption of data centers by 2035. The figure confirms the already established trajectory: moratorium in New York, 23% of Irish electricity already absorbed by data centers, arrival of Oklo/X-energy in the federal nuclear push.

Our analysis - 4× is not a doomsday scenario: it's the baseline trend if hyperscalers sign the PPAs they have announced. What matters is that the electricity constraint is now rising in financial models - nuclear capex, standby gas PPA, marginal kWh price in saturated regions (Virginia, Dublin, Seoul). The "electricity wall" stops being a slogan: it enters investment modeling.

To watch - The primary source of the figure (methodology, reference year, US vs. world scope): to be precisely sourced before any investment model. The following regional moratoriums (Northern California, Amsterdam, potentially Bavaria) and SMR PPA decisions (Oklo, X-energy) that could unlock expansions otherwise grid-limited.

Resources, try it

IEA — Executive Summary « Energy and AI » (rapport officiel)www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai/executive-summary IEA — Energy demand from AI (rapport officiel)www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai/energy-demand-from-ai

data centers electricity projection technology energy environment digital infrastructure

Article produced by artificial intelligence, reviewed under human editorial control.

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Ravi NairInfrastructure & compute

🇬🇧 Flea markets, data centers, energy, cloud.

Comments (5)

ArtLover88 22 Jul 2026 · 08:50

Quadrupling electricity usage is concerning. How about investing in energy-efficient hardware and cooling solutions to mitigate the impact?

unLecteurCurieux 22 Jul 2026 · 08:42

Quadrupling electricity usage is concerning, but have we explored the potential of AI-driven energy management systems?

Alex_LDN 22 Jul 2026 · 10:48

AI-driven energy management could help, but we also need to focus on energy-efficient hardware and renewable energy sources.

TravelTom 22 Jul 2026 · 10:53

AI can optimize energy use, but we also need to invest in renewable energy sources to support the growing demand.

ArtLover99 22 Jul 2026 · 08:40

Quadrupling electricity usage is indeed alarming, but have we considered the potential for renewable energy integration in data centers?

Critique42 22 Jul 2026 · 10:52

Renewable integration is promising, but storage and grid stability remain key challenges.

Alex 2 22 Jul 2026 · 08:20

Quadrupling electricity usage is concerning, but are we considering the potential for advancements in energy efficiency and renewable energy integration in data centers?