Projected Rise in Electricity Demand for Data Centers in Europe and Lessons for Pan-African Nations by 2030
Europe’s data centers are set to experience a significant rise in electricity demand, with a projected increase from the current 2.2% to 4.5% of the continent’s total electricity consumption by 2030. This translates to approximately 150 terawatt-hours (TWh), more than doubling current usage levels. The expansion in electricity consumption is largely due to several factors: the exponential growth in digital services, the demand for cloud computing, and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These technologies require substantial computational power, driving up data centers’ energy needs.
Why Energy Demand for Data Centers is Spiking
The rapid adoption of digital solutions in every sector, from finance and healthcare to entertainment and e-commerce, is fueling the need for extensive data storage, processing, and connectivity. AI technologies, especially those supporting automation and real-time decision-making, rely on large, data-intensive models that require sustained computational power. Further, the rise in the “Internet of Things” (IoT) and connected devices also adds to the load, as the increased data generated by these devices needs to be processed and stored.
For context, Norway’s total electricity consumption in 2023 was approximately 136 TWh.
Relevance for Pan-African Nations: Preparing for 2030
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