TITLE: AI to Drive 12% of North America‘s Electricity by 2040
AI’s Growing Energy Footprint
As tech giants like Meta, Amazon, Google, and OpenAI expand their data center networks across the United States, a new energy report reveals that artificial intelligence is poised to become the dominant force in North America’s electricity consumption over the coming years.
The Data Center Demand Surge
These massive data centers, housing thousands of computers that power everything from AI model training to popular services like ChatGPT and Gemini, are creating unprecedented demands on energy resources. Beyond electricity consumption measured in megawatts, these facilities also require millions of gallons of water for cooling and occupy thousands of acres of land.
Global and Regional Projections
According to analysis from international assurance and risk management firm DNV, global data center energy usage—including both general-purpose facilities and AI-specific centers—is projected to quintuple by 2040, reaching 5% of worldwide electricity consumption. The comprehensive research, which examines the global energy transition to cleaner power sources, indicates AI will account for more than half of this increase.
North America faces an even more significant impact, with AI data centers alone expected to consume 12% of the region’s electricity by 2040. This regional concentration highlights the intensive infrastructure development occurring across the United States.
Environmental Policy Context
The report comes amid ongoing policy discussions about balancing technological advancement with environmental concerns. Recent regulatory developments have emphasized accelerating data center construction, though DNV notes the world continues to progress “too slow to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement” for achieving net zero emissions this century.
Despite these challenges, the forecast suggests global emissions will decline by 63% by 2060. The United States’ environmental policies may delay domestic emission reductions by approximately five years, but are not expected to significantly derail global clean energy objectives.
The Bigger Energy Picture
While AI’s energy demands are substantial, the report provides important context about their relative scale. DNV projects that even in 2040, AI’s electricity requirements will remain smaller than those for electric vehicle charging and space cooling systems globally.
The analysis also indicates that AI’s current exponential growth in power consumption will eventually transition to a more linear pattern over time, suggesting the rapid expansion phase will moderate as technologies mature and efficiencies improve.
Global Clean Energy Momentum
International clean energy developments continue to drive progress, with China’s massive decarbonization efforts and low-cost clean technology exports helping propel the global transition. As many countries embrace these resources, the worldwide shift toward sustainable energy sources maintains its momentum despite regional variations in policy and implementation.
The detailed findings from this comprehensive energy assessment provide valuable insights into how artificial intelligence is reshaping our energy landscape while highlighting the ongoing global transition toward cleaner power sources.
