TrendForce: Global data center power demand is expected to increase by 31% annually in 2026

According to TrendForce’s latest AI Server industry research, in order to meet the surge in demand for AI applications, cloud service providers are accelerating the deployment of related infrastructure. TrendForce estimates that global data center power demand capacity will reach 161GW in 2026, an annual increase of approximately 31%. The main source of growth is AI Server, which is estimated to account for 33.4% of the overall demand capacity.

TrendForce divides data center power demand capacity into four major sources. In addition to general-purpose servers, AI servers, and other IT equipment, there are also non-IT equipment such as cooling and power supply systems.

Observing the changes in global data center power demand capacity in recent years, it has reached 122.9GW in 2025 and is estimated to rise to 161GW in 2026. It is estimated that in 2027, if CSP continues to expand capital expenditures and overall server shipments do not decrease, data center power demand capacity will maintain a growth rate of more than 30%.

TrendForce said that although improvements in the electromechanical efficiency of data centers have reduced the load driven by IT power consumption per unit, the rapid deployment of IT equipment, including AI Server, and the simultaneous growth of total demand capacity for non-IT equipment have prompted data centers to begin planning to use high-voltage DC power supply to optimize the overall power supply and distribution link efficiency.

From the perspective of the proportion of overall data center power demand capacity, the proportion of AI Server has grown from nearly 25% in 2025 to about 33.4% in 2026, and it is estimated that it may exceed 40% in 2027. In comparison, the proportion of general-purpose servers has dropped from about 40% in the past to 25.6% in 2027.

It is estimated that the data center power supply and demand capacity gap will reach 268GW in 2030

While the demand for electricity in data centers continues to grow, the growth rate of power supply from the power grid has not yet kept pace. According to estimates by TrendForce, before 2025, the power grid deliverable capacity can still meet the power demand capacity growth of data centers. However, starting from 2026, supply and demand will begin to diverge, and the power demand capacity will be significantly amplified after 2028. By 2030, it is estimated that the global data center power demand capacity will reach 490.7GW. On the premise that other power needs are met, the capacity of the power grid for data centers will be 222.6GW, and the supply and demand gap will reach 268GW.

According to TrendForce Consulting’s analysis, this gap between supply and demand needs to be understood at two levels. First, in addition to being supplied by the power grid, the power demand of the data center may also be met through the manufacturer's self-built power generation behind the meter. However, this part is not included in the capacity of the power grid available for the data center. Therefore, the above estimation method cannot reflect its role in filling the gap, causing the book gap to be higher than the actual shortage. Second, delays in the delivery of grid connection and power transmission and distribution construction will cause substantial power supply shortages.

Looking at the United States, which currently has the highest number of data center deployments, it is estimated that before 2028, since a considerable part of the power consumption of data centers is provided by manufacturers’ self-built power supplies and existing computer rooms, almost all projects scheduled by the State Grid will be powered on time. However, starting from 2028, the delay in power grid delivery will become more obvious, becoming the main reason for the increasing gap between data center power supply and demand capacity. Observing from existing power grid data, it is estimated that by 2030, the gap between the power supply and demand capacity of U.S. data centers will exceed 170GW. It remains to be seen whether this gap can be narrowed in the future through self-built power supply behind the meter and improvements in grid power supply.