From TechRadar · · 1m 50s
US data centers could guzzle gas like two countries combined
American data centers may consume as much natural gas as Germany and Japan by 2035, straining grids and raising energy costs.
In brief
American data centers may consume as much natural gas as Germany and Japan by 2035, straining grids and raising energy costs. Data center energy demand is doubling faster than expected, threatening grid stability and pushing natural gas consumption to historic levels within a decade. Originally reported by TechRadar.
Data center gas demand doubles in nine months
US data centers could consume 18 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily by 2035, nearly double the estimate from nine months ago. This reflects rapid growth in data center construction and mounting strain on the electrical grid.
“In less than a decade, the report claims that America's gas consumption for data centers alone could reach 18 billion cubic feet per day.”
Consumption could climb even higher
These projections assume some announced projects won't be built. If every planned data center goes ahead, natural gas consumption would exceed current estimates. The figures also carry large error bars due to unpredictable variables.
“these latest figures assume that some of the upcoming and announced projects may not even be built”
Data centers become second-biggest gas demand driver
Over the next decade, data centers will be the second-largest source of US natural gas demand growth, behind only liquefied natural gas exports. This shift reflects the explosive expansion of AI and cloud computing infrastructure.
On-site power generation could double current use
Data centers may generate 2.9 to 3.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily on-site to avoid grid dependency. That's roughly equivalent to what the entire data center sector consumes today, showing the scale of self-sufficiency efforts.
Grid demand threatens energy prices and emissions
The remaining grid-supplied consumption could drive up natural gas prices over the next decade while generating an estimated 1 million metric tons of additional greenhouse gas emissions daily. This creates pressure for new energy infrastructure and cleaner generation sources.
New transmission infrastructure urgently needed
A separate study projects data centers will consume 426 terawatt-hours by 2030. Analysts stress that both new energy generation and transmission infrastructure are critical to connect data centers with cleaner, more reliable power sources nationwide.
Here's the gist
Data center energy demand is doubling faster than expected, threatening grid stability and pushing natural gas consumption to historic levels within a decade.
