Unprecedented Energy Growth Driven by Data Centers

By 2030, U.S. data centers could require an additional 22.5 to 30 GW of energy to operate.

Data center with servers in glass rooms

The Future of Data Center Growth; Navigating energy demands


Generative AI and other cloud technologies are accelerating data center demand exponentially and showing no indication of slowing down. Many estimates conclude that by 2030, U.S. data centers could require an additional 22.5 to 30 gigawatts (GW) of energy to operate.1  This trend has triggered an unprecedented increase in power consumption, prompting a revision of demand forecasts for the next five years.

Meeting these power needs poses several challenges but the right portfolio of projects, experience, and technology can create a strong foundation for powering this new frontier.

Overcoming challenges:

  1. Access to Power: Power is critical for emergent data growth. Energy experts can help by identifying suitable data center development sites with access to power, or through alternative solutions, including co-siting energy usage behind the-meter (BTM) at appropriate late-stage development renewable energy projects.
  2. Proactive Steps for Reliability: Power protection is a critical aspect of data center operations to prevent power sags, surges, and outages. Integrating grid-backup energy solutions and divers energy sources, can enable reliability.
  3. Energy Management and Optimization: On average, 45% of a data center’s operating expense can be attributed to power, which makes controlling and optimizing energy costs crucial. Utilizing advanced energy management software can provide valuable insights that can identify and reduce energy waste, ultimately driving operating costs down.
  4. The Right Energy Expert: Many data centers need both near-term and a mid-term pipeline for power solutions, often across various geographies. Identifying the right energy expert with an extensive portfolio can ensure present and future energy needs are met. In a landscape affected by equipment and labor supply shortages, choosing the right expert with scale can bring favorable buyer treatment and help avoid unnecessary delays.


NextEra Energy Resources has a long history of meeting the energy needs of today and tomorrow. Drawing from company experience and as the largest energy infrastructure developer in North America and a world leader in battery storage, we offer a unique range of benefits for data centers, including speed to market through BTM operating assets, diverse power solutions for enhanced reliability, access to carbon-free technologies, and extensive power market knowledge across the U.S. Our deployment of AI, analytics, and automation through proprietary software, NextEra 360TM, combined with access to over 560 billion data-points daily, provides competitive advantages for maintaining, operating, and optimizing our extensive portfolio.

Tags: Insights | Data centers | Load growth | PPAs | RPPAs