Datacentres using 6% of electricity supply in UK and US, research says
Summary
Datacentres in the UK and US use about 6% of the countries’ electricity, with global use rising due to AI growth. This has led to community concerns and calls for better transparency on energy use and environmental impact.Key Facts
- Datacentres consume 6% of electricity in the UK and US, higher than the global average of 2%.
- Worldwide investment in datacentres is nearly $1 trillion, about 1% of the global economy.
- UK datacentres used 2.5% of electricity in early 2025 but could quadruple by 2030.
- Datacentres in Singapore and Lithuania use even more electricity, 19% and 11% respectively.
- Around 13% of US datacentre energy is wasted on unused “zombie” services.
- Greenpeace warned that unchecked AI growth may increase energy costs and environmental harm.
- There are about 10,000 datacentres worldwide; Microsoft’s Mount Pleasant is among the largest and most powerful.
- Datacentres face new security threats, including physical attacks and cybersecurity risks.
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