Posted 1/24/2024, 5:56:37 PM
Data centers' electricity use set to soar due to crypto and AI, potentially adding demand equal to a major European country by 2026
- Data centers' electricity use could double by 2026 due to cryptocurrencies and AI, adding demand equivalent to a large country like Sweden or Germany
- Crypto mining alone accounted for nearly 25% of data centers' electricity use in 2022
- The US has 33% of global data centers and is the top location for Bitcoin mining, with rapid growth forecast
- Ireland's data centers used 17% of its electricity in 2022, projected to rise to nearly a third by 2026
- Improving energy efficiency is important since renewable energy growth may not keep pace with data centers' demand