TrendForce forecasts global data center power demand to hit 161 GW in 2026

The global appetite for data center power is about to get a lot harder to satisfy. TrendForce projects that worldwide data center power demand will climb to 161 GW in 2026, a 31% jump from the 122.9 GW expected in 2025, driven largely by an AI buildout that shows zero signs of slowing down.

By 2027, that figure is forecast to reach 211 GW. And that’s just the appetizer before the main course: a projected 490.7 GW by 2030.

AI’s growing share of the power bill

The single biggest variable pushing these numbers skyward is artificial intelligence. AI servers are expected to account for roughly 33.4% of total data center power demand in 2026, up from about 25% in 2025.

By 2027, TrendForce expects that share to cross 40%.

Cloud service providers, the companies actually buying and racking this equipment, are not pulling back. Capital expenditure from major CSPs continues to escalate, with TrendForce projecting annual growth rates above 30% into 2027.

The grid can’t keep up

TrendForce’s analysis points to a widening gap between what data centers will demand and what electrical grids can actually deliver. The mismatch begins showing up in 2026 and worsens significantly after 2028. By 2030, the firm estimates global grid capacity available for data centers will top out at roughly 222.6 GW. Set that against the projected 490.7 GW of demand, and you’re staring at a shortfall of approximately 268 GW.

The United States is particularly exposed. TrendForce flags a US deficit exceeding 170 GW by 2030, concentrated in the grid regions where data centers are already clustering most aggressively: PJM (covering much of the mid-Atlantic and Midwest), ERCOT (Texas), and MISO (the central US).

What fills the gap

TrendForce highlights high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems as one avenue for improving transmission efficiency. HVDC technology allows power to be moved over long distances with lower losses than traditional alternating current lines, potentially connecting data centers to remote generation sources that would otherwise be stranded.

What this means for markets and infrastructure

For the data center operators themselves, power availability is becoming the primary constraint on growth. For energy markets specifically, the concentration of demand in US grid regions like PJM, ERCOT, and MISO could drive up wholesale electricity prices in those areas, affecting not just data centers but industrial and residential customers competing for the same electrons.

TrendForce’s numbers paint a picture of an industry growing faster than the physical world can accommodate it. The 161 GW forecast for 2026 is a milestone, but the real story is the trajectory beyond it — and whether the energy infrastructure can bend fast enough to meet it.