In a launch despatched to Rigzone lately, the U.S. Power Data Administration (EIA) introduced that it’s launching three voluntary pilot area research to judge vitality consumption in information facilities.
As a part of the endeavor, the EIA outlined that it could conduct web-based pilot surveys in Texas and Washington state, in addition to in-person interviews in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. The EIA mentioned within the launch that it recognized 196 firms working information facilities throughout Texas, Washington state, and the Northern Virginia-DC area, including that every firm shall be requested to report on the vitality use of at the least one information middle within the focused area.
The questionnaire will cowl vitality sources, electrical energy consumption, website traits, server metrics, and cooling techniques, in accordance with the discharge.
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“An incredible quantity of fantastic work goes into our retrospective consumption surveys, however they have been conceived a long time in the past,” EIA Administrator Tristan Abbey mentioned within the launch.
“Going ahead, that glorious work shall be geared towards quicker cycles and finer element,” Abbey added.
Within the launch, the EIA famous that Abbey “is prioritizing information assortment efforts in our quickly evolving vitality sector”, noting that, in February, the EIA launched three voluntary pilot area research to evaluate the feasibility of amassing information on graphite, vanadium, and zirconium, “all of that are minerals important to the vitality sector”.
“EIA can also be in early-stage planning for pilot area research in different areas of the vitality financial system, together with the nuclear sector,” the EIA revealed within the launch.
In a launch posted on its web site again in January, the EIA introduced that it was forecasting the strongest four-year progress in U.S. electrical energy demand since 2000, “fueled by information facilities”.
“EIA expects U.S. electrical energy use to develop by one p.c this yr and three p.c in 2027,” the EIA mentioned in that launch.
“This improve would mark the primary time since 2007 that energy demand has risen for 4 years in a row and the strongest four-year progress interval since 2000. The driving issue behind this surge is rising demand from giant computing facilities,” it added.
In that launch, Abbey mentioned, “U.S. vitality manufacturing stays robust, and pure gasoline output is anticipated to develop to almost 109 billion cubic ft per day this yr”.
“Pure gasoline provide is important as we forecast that U.S. liquefied pure gasoline exports broaden and electrical energy demand rises by way of 2027, pushed largely by rising demand from giant computing services, together with information facilities,” Abbey added.
Within the EIA’s newest quick time period vitality outlook, which was launched earlier this month, the EIA projected that U.S. electrical energy era will develop by 1.2 p.c in 2026 and by 3.1 p.c in 2027, “led by demand progress within the Electrical Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) area”.
“U.S. electrical energy era has been rising by a median of two p.c per yr since 2021 to fulfill rising electrical energy demand following a interval of flat demand progress between 2010 and 2019,” the EIA mentioned in its March STEO.
“In 2026, U.S. coal era declines by seven p.c in our forecast as era from renewable sources will increase and the electrical energy sector retires about 4 p.c of its coal-fired producing capability,” it added.
In its March STEO, the EIA forecast that increased crude oil manufacturing leads to extra related pure gasoline manufacturing.
“We count on marketed pure gasoline manufacturing to common 121 billion cubic ft per day (Bcfpd) this yr, a rise of two p.c from 2025,” the EIA mentioned in its newest STEO.
“Manufacturing rises by a further three p.c in 2027 to succeed in 124 Bcfpd. The 2027 forecast is nearly two Bcfpd increased than final month’s outlook,” it added.
U.S. information middle electrical energy consumption is projected to greater than triple from 2021, the final full yr with out ChatGPT, to 2030, in accordance with information despatched to Rigzone by the Worldwide Power Company (IEA) late final yr.
The IEA, which described U.S. information middle electrical energy demand figures because the closest proxy out there for the vitality consumption of synthetic intelligence (AI) on the time, modeled that U.S. information middle electrical energy demand got here in at 120.65 Terawatt hours (TWh) in 2021, IEA information despatched to Rigzone confirmed. In different information despatched to Rigzone, which is offered within the IEA’s Power and AI report launched earlier in 2025, the IEA forecasts that this consumption will rise to nicely over 400 TWh in 2030, in its base case.
In information despatched to Rigzone, the IEA modeled that U.S. information middle electrical energy consumption stood at 108.41 TWh in 2020, 134.07 TWh in 2022, 154.07 TWh in 2023, and 182.61 TWh in 2024. The IEA projected in its AI report that this demand will rise to nicely over 200 TWh in 2025, greater than 250 TWh in 2026, over 300 TWh in 2027, round 350 TWh in 2028, and a bit bit below 400 TWh in 2029.
A chart included within the IEA report displaying electrical energy era for information facilities by gasoline within the U.S., within the IEA’s base case, from 2020 to 2035, outlined that pure gasoline has had, and can proceed to have, the most important slice of the pie.
In line with this chart, pure gasoline generated round 50 TWh of electrical energy for information facilities within the U.S. in 2020. This determine rose barely in 2021 and 2022, and got here in a bit below 100 TWh in 2024, the chart confirmed. The IEA chart initiatives that this determine will are available barely over 100 TWh this yr, go nicely over 100 TWh in 2026, are available at round 150 TWh in 2027, and preserve pushing up in direction of 200 TWh in 2028. By 2029, this determine is projected to face a bit over 200 TWh and by 2030, it’s anticipated to go nicely above this determine, the chart outlined.
To contact the creator, e mail andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com
