The biggest utilities in the United States expect exponential growth in electricity demand in the coming years from data centers and new technologies such as generative AI.
So great is electricity consumption from data centers that U.S. utilities and regulators have raised significantly their forecasts for peak power demand in the coming decade.
After more than a decade of flatlining power consumption in America, the AI boom and the chip and other tech manufacturing are leading to higher U.S. electricity demand.
As a result, nine out of the 10 largest U.S. electric utilities see the data center boom as the key driver of demand growth, an analysis of recent company reports by Reuters has shown.
Several of these utilities have bumped up their forecasts for short and long-term demand growth and peak demand and are planning higher spending to meet rising consumption,…
