Data center surging electricity demand
Like Moore’s Law, energy efficiency for data centers began to run out of steam by the 2010s. After substantial progress between 2007 and 2018, the energy efficiency didn’t actually improve much between 2018 and 2024. It didn’t stop the PR spin about how Big Tech is so efficient and getting more efficient every year.
You’re using as much energy as a family home. Yes, but we’re efficient. You’re using as much energy as a small town. Yes, but we’re efficient. You’re using as much energy as a big city. Yes, but we’re efficient. You’re using as much energy as France. Yes, but we’re efficient. You’re using as much energy as a continent. Yes, but we’re efficient. You’re using all the electricity left on earth. Yes, but we’re efficient.
Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta more than doubled their energy demand between 2017 and 2021. There was talk of an exponential doubling again between 2022 and 2026. Driven by AI, emissions figures from data centers were expected to double or treble again by 2030. Were AI-driven data centers adding a Germany or a Japan-worth of electricity every couple of years? Was one data center using as much electricity as three million people? Did new data centers come with nuclear power plants attached?
