US Electricity Demand Soars Due To Growth Of Generative AI Data Centers And Technology

Major power companies in the United States are experiencing a significant surge in electricity demand as data and technology centers such as artificial intelligence are increasingly needed. (photo: dock. pexels)

JAKARTA - Major power companies in the United States are experiencing a significant surge in electricity demand, which is predicted to continue to increase, as data centers and technologies such as generating artificial intelligence are increasingly needed.

Reuters' analysis of the company's earnings report from the first three months of this year showed that nine of the top ten power companies in the US marked the data center as the main source of customer growth. This prompted many companies to revise their capital expenditure plans and projected demand.

In the same revenue period last year, only two of these companies paid attention to data centers as a growth factor.

Increased demand is projected to trigger a significant increase in future electricity sales. This growth is also supported by estimates that the use of electricity from data centers around the world will triple this year, according to Morgan Stanley's research.

Meanwhile, long-term electricity demand from IT equipment at US data centers is expected to jump to more than 50 gigawatts by 2030, according to consultant McKinsey, up from 21 gigawatts by 2023.

Electric companies anticipate this growth by increasing their investment and infrastructure. However, concerns arise that the US electricity industry may find it difficult to respond to this surge in demand due to delays in power generation and transmission projects that need to connect to the grid.

Not only that, the increase in demand has also raised concerns from some parties, including state legislators, about its impact on local electricity, emissions and economic networks. For example, the Georgia Senate recently voted to suspend some tax breaks for data centers because it was deemed to have failed to create adequate employment to drive state economic growth.

In conclusion, the surge in electricity demand triggered by new data and technology centers such as a generative AI is a significant phenomenon, but it also poses new challenges for the electric industry and relevant stakeholders.