Energy Unplugged by Aurora Ep.249 The Data Centre Surge: AI’s Impact on Power Demand and Grid Planning
Jun 24, 2025
Join Malavika Gode, a Senior Associate in Aurora's UK Advisory team, as she delves into the surge of data centers driven by AI. Discover how this growth is reshaping power demand and energy infrastructure globally. The conversation touches on the staggering energy needs of these facilities, with comparisons to vast households. Key insights include the complexities of renewable energy sourcing and the crucial strategies required for sustainable growth. Collaborating among stakeholders emerges as vital for optimizing future development in this booming sector.
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Data Center Power Scale
- A 100 MW data center consumes power like 250,000 households or 35 large shopping malls.
- Some data centers exceed 1 GW, rivaling millions of homes in energy use, posing grid challenges.
AI Model Training Energy
- Training AI models consumes massive energy, with some using 300 GWh over months.
- The training cost is in tens of millions, with total costs possibly in billions, reflecting AI's huge power footprint.
Data Center Global Growth Forecast
- Global data center power consumption may reach 900 TWh by 2030, nearly doubling since now.
- This growth equals adding a medium European country's entire power demand each year.