US Data Center Power Demand Surges 253% to 194GW by 2035

Data centers are projected to consume 20% of US electricity by 2035, with demand hitting 194GW. This surge, concentrated in grids like PJM, positions power as the next critical bottleneck for AI infrastructure expansion.

Woofun AI data shows that US data center electricity demand is projected to increase by 253% from 2026 levels, reaching a record 194 gigawatts by 2035. Currently accounting for 6% of annual US electricity consumption, this figure is estimated to rise to 12% by 2030 and approximately 20% by 2035.

The majority of this power consumption growth is concentrated in specific grid regions, notably the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM), which serves Washington D.C. and 13 states including Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. This trajectory indicates that power availability will become the next significant bottleneck for AI development.