Data centres in both the UK and US now consume roughly 6% of each country’s electricity supply, according to a report by think tank the International Data Centre Authority (IDCA).
The rapid growth in the number of data centres in countries across the world, driven by the AI boom, has seen electricity demands grow. This is adding pressure to local grids and, in some instances, has seen household electricity prices rise.
The 2026 Global Data Centre Report, published by the IDCA, aims to provide a comprehensive view of the global data centre landscape, covering energy consumption, connectivity, security and the rise of AI-driven infrastructure.
Data centres are energy guzzlers, requiring a significant amount of electricity for computation. According to figures from the report, their total power footprint has grown by 36% in just two years. These facilities now account for 2% of global electricity consumption, up from 1.7% in 2024 and 1.9% in mid-2025.
The US has more data centres than any...