Data Centers Consumed 485 Terawatt-Hours in 2025 as Digital Infrastructure Strains the Planet
In 2025, data centers utilized around 485 terawatt-hours of electricity, and the International Energy Agency anticipates this figure could approach 950 terawatt-hours by 2030, driven by AI and computation-intensive services. A 2023 analysis involving 28 semiconductor firms indicated water withdrawals of 789 million cubic meters and energy consumption of 149 billion kilowatt-hours, representing only a fraction of the chip sector. Cooling remains a significant challenge, as servers primarily transform electricity into heat, with various cooling techniques offering distinct advantages and disadvantages. A 2024 Italian study suggested that waste-heat recovery could meet 12 to 59 percent of heating requirements. The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 revealed that in 2022, 62 billion kilograms of e-waste were generated, with merely 22.3 percent recycled, projecting an increase to 82 billion kilograms by 2030.
Key facts
- Data centers consumed approximately 485 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2025, per the International Energy Agency
- The IEA projects data center electricity use could approach 950 terawatt-hours by 2030, driven partly by AI
- A 2023 study of 28 semiconductor companies reported about 789 million cubic meters of water withdrawals and 149 billion kilowatt-hours of energy consumption
- The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 reported 62 billion kilograms of e-waste generated in 2022, with only 22.3 percent formally collected and recycled
- Global e-waste could reach 82 billion kilograms by 2030, according to the same report
- A 2024 study modeling data center waste heat in an Italian district heating system found recovered heat supplied 12 to 59 percent of the mix and cut gas use by roughly 11 to 58 percent
- Cooling options include mechanical refrigeration, air-based systems and liquid cooling, each with different energy, water and cost profiles
- The article appears in designboom's POSTHUMAN UTOPIAS chapter, presented with INDX|GLOBAL
Entities
Artists
- İsmail Enes Ayhan
- Rsparks3
- Scott Rodgerson
- Dion Beetson
- Christopher Bowns
- Tasha Kostyuk
Institutions
- International Energy Agency
- designboom
- INDX|GLOBAL
- NASA
- Wikimedia Commons
- Virginia Tech
- Unsplash
- ScienceDirect
Locations
- Italy
- United States