US data centers to outconsume Germany plus Japan by 2035
Technology
By 2035, US data centers, fueled by the AI boom, are expected to consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined.
A BloombergNEF report says these centers could burn through 18 billion cubic feet of gas every day, nearly double the amount BloombergNEF predicted just nine months ago.
Tech giants planning gas plants
Tech giants like Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have announced plans for new natural gas power plants to power their growing data needs.
This massive demand may push up natural gas prices, which could hit utility ratepayers and could add about 1 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses daily, roughly 12% of current US emissions.
This surge is raising real questions about how sustainable all that digital growth really is.