On average, processing a ChatGPT query requires nearly 10 times more power than a Google search, a difference that will drive significant changes in how and at what cost electricity is consumed across the US, Europe, and the world.
For years, data centers have shown remarkably stable power consumption even as workloads have grown. Now, as the pace of power efficiency slows and the AI revolution gains momentum, Goldman Sachs Research predicts that data center power demand will increase 160% by 2030.
Data centers around the world currently consume 1-2% of total electricity, but that share is expected to grow to 3-4% in the next decade. In the United States and Europe, this increased demand will drive electricity growth not seen in a generation. In the process, data center carbon emissions could more than double between 2022 and 2030.
How much power does a data center consume?
In a three-part report, analysts at Goldman Sachs Research explain the impact of this surge in power demand on the U.S., Europe and the world. It's not that there hasn't been a small demand for data in recent years. In fact, data center workloads grew nearly threefold between 2015 and 2019. Throughout that period, however, data center power demand remained flat at about 200 terawatt-hours per year. This is in part because data centers have continued to become more efficient with their power consumption, according to the Goldman Sachs Research report led by Carly Davenport, Alberto Gandolfi and Bryan Singer.
