A Power Technology article dated 21 April 2026 summarises the International Energy Agency's report 'Key Questions on Energy and AI'. We have not read the IEA report itself; verify the figures at iea.org before quoting them.
Figures as summarised
- Data-centre electricity demand rose 17% in 2025, compared with 3% growth in overall global power demand.
- Data-centre electricity use is expected to double by 2030, with AI-specific demand tripling.
- Technology companies signed about 40% of all corporate renewable power purchase agreements in 2025.
- Conditional offtake agreements for small modular reactors grew from 25 GW at the end of 2024 to 45 GW.
- Many US developers are turning to on-site natural gas generation.
Why it matters to a business buyer
Capacity limits can show up as higher prices, waiting lists for hosting in some regions, or rate limits at the provider. Efficiency is also a design choice: smaller models, caching and batching reduce both cost and energy use.
Include capacity and regional availability in vendor reviews, particularly if you need to keep data in a specific region.