reported data + modeled outlookOldest recorded check 2026-09-05
Data-centre energy and company disclosures
The chart presents reported estimates and a projection. It does not assign the entire increase to AI or infer causation from product-release dates.
2010 estimate
194 TWh
2018 estimate
205 TWh
2025 estimate
485 TWh
2030 projection
950 TWh
Masanet studyIEA estimate/projection
2025 — Updated IEA estimate. The IEA estimates 485 TWh for all data centres in 2025 and reports faster growth in AI-focused facilities.
Method note: the chart intentionally splices two sources. 2010–2018 comes from Masanet et al.; 2025 and 2030 come from the IEA's 2026 analysis. The dashed segment marks that change. All values cover all data centres, not AI alone.
Chart sources and review dates
○ Study or modeled estimate
Masanet historical estimates and IEA estimate/projection have different methods.
Open original source ↗Recalibrating global data center energy-use estimatesmasanet-2020 · Masanet et al. · Science · 2020Locator: 2010 and 2018 estimatesBoundary: Bottom-up global operational data-centre electricityGeography: GlobalReview status: peer-reviewed publication; AI Footprint Lab extraction not independently reviewedChecked: Individual check date not recorded · review by 2028-07-17Earlier releases inherited a dataset date; an individual check date was not recorded.Open original source ↗Key Questions on Energy and AIiea-ai-2026 · International Energy Agency · IEA · 2026Locator: Executive summary, ‘Our updated data centre electricity demand outlook’: 485 TWh (2025), 950 TWh (2030)Boundary: All data centres; AI-focused facilities are a subsetGeography: GlobalReview status: intergovernmental analysis and modeled projectionChecked: 2026-09-05 · review by 2027-03-05
United States only: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s 2025 Update estimates 192 TWh for US data centres in 2024 (4.7% of US electricity) and a 2030 reference case of 649 TWh within scenarios of 521–843 TWh. It uses a different model and geography, so it is not plotted on the global series above.
US estimate source and review dates
○ Study or modeled estimate
Bottom-up US model from equipment shipments, device power and cooling simulations; all data centres, not AI alone. 2030 values are scenarios, not forecasts.
Open original source ↗United States Data Center Energy Usage Report: 2025 Updatelbnl-data-centres-2025 · Smith, Hubbard, Newkirk, Ganeshalingam, Holecek, Sartor, Mills & Shehabi · Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory · 2026Locator: Abstract (2030 Reference Case 649 TWh, 11.8% of US electricity; compounded range 521–843 TWh) and PDF p. 11 (192 TWh in 2024, 4.7%)Boundary: Bottom-up model of all US data centres from equipment shipments, device power and cooling simulations; not AI-only; projections are scenarios, not forecastsGeography: United StatesReview status: national laboratory report (LBNL-2001758); modeled projectionsChecked: 2026-10-12 · review by 2027-06-18
Company disclosures
Compare what companies report
“Not disclosed” means the information is missing, not that use is zero. Annual renewable matching, hourly matching, absolute energy, water intensity, water consumption, and emissions are different metrics and are not substituted for one another.
Latest company disclosures reviewed by AI Footprint Lab; first-party sources in each company’s reported units
Data-centre electricity and water are split from offices in the report; emissions and hourly matching are not data-centre-only.
Open original source ↗Google 2026 Environmental Reportgoogle-environment-2026 · Google · Google Sustainability · 2026Locator: PDF p. 4 (100% global annual renewable match); p. 72 (about 65% CFE in 2025, 66% in 2024); p. 90 (GHG table); p. 93 (electricity: data centres 42,415,800 MWh); p. 96 (water: data centres 13,562 million gallons withdrawn, 10,523 consumed); p. 6 (7.7 billion gallons replenished, about 78% of freshwater consumption)Boundary: Calendar 2025. Electricity and water split into data centres and offices; hourly CFE covers data centres and offices; Scope 2 is company-wide, not data-centre-onlyGeography: Global company operationsReview status: first-party disclosure; 2025 metrics marked for third-party limited assuranceChecked: 2026-10-12 · review by 2027-07-17
Data-centre electricity and water are split from offices in the report; emissions and hourly matching are not data-centre-only.
100% of electricity matched with renewable purchases, global and annual
About 65% carbon-free energy on an hourly basis across data centres and offices (66% in 2024)
42.4 TWh (42,415,800 MWh), up from 30.6 TWh in 2024
Data centres: 10,523 million US gallons consumed, 13,562 million withdrawn. Replenishment of about 78% of freshwater consumption is a separate metric
Company location-based Scope 2: 15.1 MtCO₂e (market-based 2.8 Mt). Operational emissions −2% and ambition-based Scope 3 +25% year over year
Location-level data-centre values exclude commissioning and locations that together make up less than 1% of the total, so AI Footprint Lab does not sum them into a global figure.
Open original source ↗Microsoft 2026 Environmental Sustainability Reportmicrosoft-environment-2026 · Microsoft · Microsoft · 2026Locator: PDF p. 6 (FY25 100% annual renewable match); p. 64 note 2 (match counts contracted projects plus “grid mix” supplied through utility rates and portfolio standards; excludes spot RECs); p. 23 (FY25 PUE 1.17); p. 24 and p. 64 note 12 (FY25 WUE 0.27 L/kWh; cooling and humidification water ÷ energy). Publication date from the 9 July 2026 announcement URLBoundary: Fiscal year ended 30 June 2025. WUE and PUE cover owned data centres; matching covers global electricityGeography: Global company operationsReview status: first-party disclosureChecked: 2026-10-12 · review by 2027-07-17Open original source ↗2026 Environmental Data Fact Sheetmicrosoft-data-fact-sheet-2026 · Microsoft · Microsoft · 2026Locator: PDF p. 3 Table 1A (FY25 Scope 2 location-based 12,030,556 and market-based 2,707,428 tCO₂e; total 21,121,000); p. 6 Table 5 (electricity 37,026,353 MWh; matched contracted/generated renewable electricity 34,534,392 MWh, excluding grid mix); p. 7 Table 8 (withdrawal 13,266 ML; consumption 8,170 ML); p. 25 Table 15 (FY25 electricity and withdrawal by owned data-centre location)Boundary: Company-wide FY2025 except Table 15, which lists owned data-centre locations and excludes commissioning and locations that together make up less than 1% of the total; no global data-centre sum is publishedGeography: Global company operations; Table 15 by metro locationReview status: first-party disclosure; assurance scope listed in Table 16Checked: 2026-10-12 · review by 2027-07-17
Location-level data-centre values exclude commissioning and locations that together make up less than 1% of the total, so AI Footprint Lab does not sum them into a global figure.
100% annual global match as Microsoft defines it: contracted projects plus “grid mix” renewables supplied through utility rates; spot RECs excluded. Contracted and generated renewable electricity alone: 34.5 of 37.0 TWh
Not disclosed as a global percentage
No global data-centre total; electricity listed by owned data-centre location (fact sheet Table 15). Company-wide: 37.0 TWh
Owned data centres: WUE 0.27 L/kWh (cooling and humidification water per kWh). Company-wide: 13,266 ML withdrawn, 8,170 ML consumed
Company location-based Scope 2: 12.0 MtCO₂e (market-based 2.7 Mt, about 13% of the 21.1 Mt market-based total)
Amazon's WUE divides withdrawal by IT energy; Microsoft's divides cooling and humidification water by energy. The two intensities are not directly comparable.
Open original source ↗Amazon 2025 Sustainability Reportamazon-sustainability-2025 · Amazon · Amazon Sustainability · 2026Locator: PDF p. 10 (100% renewable match for the third year; PUE 1.14); p. 14 (data centres withdrew 9.4 billion litres; WUE defined as litres withdrawn per kWh of IT load); p. 15 (WUE 0.12 L/kWh; 22% of withdrawals in high or extremely high water stress); p. 46 (Scope 2 3.74 MMT CO₂e); p. 8 (2025 emissions use a market-based method). Publication date from the 1 July 2026 Amazon News announcementBoundary: Calendar 2025. Water covers leased, owned and shared data centres; Scope 2 is company-wide and market-basedGeography: Global company operationsReview status: first-party disclosure; assurance varies by metricChecked: 2026-10-12 · review by 2027-07-17
Amazon's WUE divides withdrawal by IT energy; Microsoft's divides cooling and humidification water by energy. The two intensities are not directly comparable.
100% of electricity used by Amazon operations matched with renewable sources
Not disclosed in the report
Not disclosed as an absolute data-centre total
Data centres: 9.4 billion litres withdrawn; WUE 0.12 L/kWh (litres withdrawn per kWh of IT load); 22% of withdrawals in high or extremely high water-stress regions
Company Scope 2: 3.74 MtCO₂e, market-based. Location-based total and data-centre split not disclosed in the report
The reporting period is a year earlier than the other rows. No 2026 report had been published when checked on October 12, 2026.
Open original source ↗Meta 2025 Sustainability Reportmeta-sustainability-2025 · Meta · Meta Sustainability · 2025Locator: Highlights: matched 100% of electricity use with clean and renewable energy; projects restored over 1.6 billion gallons in 2024. Publication date from the 12 September 2025 launch post. No 2026 report was published when checkedBoundary: Calendar 2024; corporate operationsGeography: Global company operationsReview status: first-party disclosure; independent review scope linked by publisherChecked: 2026-10-12 · review by 2027-07-17Open original source ↗Meta 2025 Environmental Data Indexmeta-environmental-data-index-2025 · Meta · Meta Sustainability · 2025Locator: PDF p. 4 (Scope 2 data centres total 2024: market-based 135, location-based 5,862,614 tCO₂e); p. 6 (electricity, data centres total 2024: 18,061,781 MWh); p. 9 (water withdrawal, data centres total: 4,145 ML); p. 11 (water consumption, data centres total: 2,974 ML)Boundary: Calendar 2024; “data centers total” equals owned sites plus leased and other data-centre-related facilitiesGeography: Global company operationsReview status: first-party disclosureChecked: 2026-10-12 · review by 2027-07-17
The reporting period is a year earlier than the other rows. No 2026 report had been published when checked on October 12, 2026.
100% of electricity use matched with clean and renewable energy
Not disclosed in the reviewed report
18.1 TWh (18,061,781 MWh), including leased facilities
Data centres: 2,974 ML consumed, 4,145 ML withdrawn. 1.6 billion US gallons restored is a separate metric
Check the reporting period and what each figure includes before comparing companies. Company publications are primary sources for what companies report; they are not independent measurements of every environmental effect.
water interpretation
Volume, intensity, replenishment, and scarcity are separate.
L or m³
Absolute withdrawal or consumption volume
L/kWh
Water-use intensity relative to electricity
%
Replenishment or restoration ratio—not avoided consumption
A complete environmental interpretation also needs facility location, watershed condition, season, water source and quality, and whether the metric is withdrawal or consumption.