Read AI electricity forecasts by region and source

01Growth does not have one power source

In the report's base case, renewables supplied nearly half of the additional electricity demand, followed by natural gas and coal. Nuclear became more important toward the end of the decade and beyond ^[1].

Those are projections under a scenario, not a guarantee about the mix serving every facility. The report notes large regional differences.

02Physical supply and contracts differ

The IEA distinguishes electricity physically consumed by data centres from operators' contractual energy arrangements. Its supply analysis considers onsite generation and the mix on the local grid ^[1]. A broad statement about renewable purchasing does not answer every question about where electricity is generated and when it is available.

For a developer evaluating infrastructure claims, look for the location, measurement period and boundary of the figure. Does it cover one workload, one facility or a company? Does it describe consumption or a future commitment?

Our post raised the issue of sustainable power as AI grows. This report provides a way to examine it without assuming one global number describes every deployment.