Data Centers' Energy Demand Surpasses That of Entire Nations
WHO:
Business Insider - Kaitlyn Gruenbacher stated, "They're going to take our finite resources. And what are we getting in return? Nothing."
Business Insider - Kevin O'Leary pledged to halve the size of his proposed 40,000-acre data center in Box Elder County, Utah.
Business Insider - Tech giants including Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google are involved in the data center expansion.
Business Insider - Kaitlyn Gruenbacher is a farmer in Sedgwick County, Kansas, opposing a proposed data center.
Newser - Kaveh Madani is a co-author of the United Nations University report on data centers.
WHAT:
Business Insider - Data centers contributed to a 76% increase in wholesale power costs in the first quarter of 2026, according to a May 2026 report by Monitoring Analytics.
Business Insider - A developer of a 290-acre data center project in De Soto, Kansas, agreed to pay more than $460,000 a year to the city in lieu of property taxes.
Business Insider - Data centers across the US are projected to use between 224.3 terawatt-hours and 358.8 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2025, a 50% increase over the previous year.
Business Insider - In 2025, permits were issued for 176 new data centers across 34 states, the most in one year since 1976.
Business Insider - Amazon's planned data center complex in Ridgeland, Mississippi, will cover nearly 800 acres.
Business Insider - Microsoft's data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, will have a footprint of over 5.2 million square feet.
Business Insider - QTS's data center near Eagle Mountain, Utah, is expected to demand between 1.9 and 3 terawatt-hours of electricity annually.
Newser - In 2025, global data centers used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity, producing about 208 million tons of carbon dioxide.
Newser - By 2030, data centers are projected to account for nearly 3% of the world's electricity use, with 935 trillion watt-hours.
WHERE:
Business Insider - The proposed data center site is across the road from Gruenbacher's home in Sedgwick County, Kansas.
Business Insider - The data center complex in Ridgeland is located in Mississippi, and the one in Mount Pleasant is in Wisconsin.
Newser - The report discusses global data centers, indicating their environmental impact on a worldwide scale.
WHEN:
Business Insider - Sedgwick County leaders voted in May to extend the study period on new data center applications for another 90 days.
Business Insider - The data center permits issued in 2025 represent the most new permits in one year since 1976.
Newser - The report predicts that by 2030, data centers will account for nearly 3% of the world's electricity use.
WHY:
Business Insider - The Monitoring Analytics report found that customers are already bearing billions of dollars in higher costs as a direct result of existing and forecast data center load.
Business Insider - The demand for data centers is driven by tech companies' ambitions in artificial intelligence.
Newser - The growth of data centers is attributed to the increasing energy consumption associated with AI, which is expected to rise from 20% to 40% of data centers' energy use by 2030.
HOW:
Business Insider - At least 20 permits were issued to developers through the end of 2025 for power plants intended to serve data centers.
Business Insider - Business Insider's analysis of data center power use is based on permits for backup generators installed at each facility.
Newser - The report highlights that many companies lack transparency regarding their data centers' energy consumption and locations.
(UPDATED June 7, 2026 19:18 UTC)
A recent report by Monitoring Analytics revealed that data centers have driven a staggering 76% increase in wholesale power costs, leaving customers to shoulder billions in higher expenses. In response to these rising costs and concerns over resource allocation, Kevin O'Leary has committed to reducing the size of his proposed 40,000-acre data center in Box Elder County, Utah, while a developer in De Soto, Kansas, has agreed to pay over $460,000 annually to the city in lieu of property taxes for a 290-acre project. Additionally, Sedgwick County leaders have decided to extend the study period on new data center applications for another 90 days, as at least 20 permits for power plants intended to support these centers were issued through the end of 2025.
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(UPDATED June 7, 2026 17:19 UTC)
Tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google are driving a significant expansion of data centers across the U.S., with projections indicating that these facilities will consume between 224.3 terawatt-hours and 358.8 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2025, marking a 50% increase from the previous year. In 2025, a record 176 new data center permits were issued across 34 states, including Amazon's massive complex in Ridgeland, Mississippi, which will span nearly 800 acres, and Microsoft's facility in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, covering over 5.2 million square feet. The growing demand for these data centers is largely fueled by tech companies' ambitions in artificial intelligence, which is expected to account for up to 40% of their energy consumption by 2030.