The energy demand of data centers in the United States intended to support artificial intelligence (AI) systems will reach at least 325 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2028, according to a report released by the Department of Energy (DOE, for its acronym in English). The figure will exceed the national electricity consumption recorded in 2023 by countries such as Spain (246 TWh), Italy (298 TWh) and the United Kingdom (287 TWh).
The report, prepared by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, indicates that servers dedicated to AI could represent between 6.7 and 12% of total electricity consumption of the United States in the next three years. It warns that the electrical load of these facilities is increasing at an accelerated rate, with compound annual rates that went from 7% in 2014 to 18% between 2018 and 2023. Specialists warn that the nation lacks the necessary infrastructure to address this increase.
Bob Johnson, an analyst at the consulting firm Gartner, noted last month that “the explosive growth of new data centers to implement generative AI is creating an insatiable demand for energy that exceeds the ability of utility providers to expand their supply with the fast enough.”
According to the DOE document, even if these centers limit their operations to 50% of their capacity, the electrical system will need an installed capacity of between 74 and 132 gigawatts (GW) to meet its energy needs. The range exceeds Spain’s annual electricity generation capacitywhich in 2023 stood at 125.6 GW.
The AI industry is betting on nuclear energy
Energy sector experts believe that these projections could be conservative due to the rapid increase in data center construction in the United States. President Donald Trump announced this week the creation of the company Stargate, focused on establishing “the largest artificial intelligence infrastructure in history,” according to the president. OpenAI, Oracle, Softbank and the Emirati sovereign fund MGX have committed to financing the project with at least $500 billion over the next four years. The Republican politician has promised that he will resort to emergency declarations and decrees to guarantee the energy supply necessary for this initiative.
The technology industry has begun to contemplate nuclear energy as an option to guarantee the supply of processors for AI. In recent months, Microsoft signed an agreement with Constellation Energy to reactivate a unit at the Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, plant. Google has closed an agreement with the startup Kairos Power to meet its consumption through small modular reactors (SMR). A similar strategy was adopted by Amazon late last year.
The effectiveness of energy production by fission is not completely proven. Despite this, the International Atomic Energy Agency maintains that SMRs could be of great help. It estimates that each of these units is capable of generating up to 300 megawatts (MW) at affordable costs and with reduced environmental impact. Some specialists emphasize that this alternative requires a more exhaustive analysis before its mass implementation.
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