Data Centres & the Energy Industry

Data Centres and the Energy Industry: A High-Stakes Relationship

Data centres are regularly referred to amongst Energy Considered’s opinion leaders and our tracking has revealed that conversations generated have spiked in 2024 and 2023. The sector is regularly creating a buzz because data centres are increasingly the enabler behind developments from cloud computing to artificial intelligence. They are growing exponentially to meet our needs but they are energy-hungry, due to the energy-intensive nature of data centre operations.

Already data centres account for approximately 1-2% of global electricity consumption; data centre power requirements grew from 4.9GW in 2022 to 7.4GW in 2023 and are increasing faster every year. So the growth story is also one of electricity demand, sustainability and environmental impact.

Data centres’ impact of the energy industry is immense. Operators are giving consideration to new options such as on-site nuclear power plants or integrated renewables, but in the meantime, data centres raise electricity demand and strain local networks, while their carbon footprint remains a concern.

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  • Extended editorial briefings with in-depth analysis and empirical data drawn from 5,000 of the world’s most influential commentators on the energy industry on key issues shaping the energy sector.
  • Monthly and quarterly data identifying and tracking how energy industry leaders are engaging with critical topics.
  • In depth research explaining why energy industry leaders are engaging with these key issues and providing the context and framework for further exploration.
  • Quantitative primary research conducted with responses from energy industry leaders on our panel, providing unique answers to the issues affecting the global energy industry.
  • Power BI dashboards offering dynamic exploration of 5,000 energy key opinion leaders, social and digital narrative analysed against 14 strategic and tactical energy industry metrics.
  • Expert interpretation of what these issues really mean to the industry and what decisions can be taken on the back of unprecedented empirical evidence.
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Data Centres and the Energy Industry: A High-Stakes Relationship - Quarter 3 2024

Case for tracking:

A clear spike was seen in the month of May 2024 (previous spike of similar amplitude last seen between June and July of 2023). A relatively new area getting a lot of significant mentions with LLMs and transformers being adopted by pretty much every industry.

Scope for a lot of policy changes as most of these data centres currently are quite carbon intense. Also mentions of Nuclear energy and hydrogen with giants like Microsoft being involved.

Volume of Mentions from Energy Considered’s Key Opinion Leaders:

Data Centres and the Energy Industry: A High-Stakes Relationship - Quarter 4 2024

Case for tracking:

A relatively new area getting a lot of significant mentions with LLMs and transformers being adopted by pretty much every industry. Scope for a lot of policy changes as most of these data centres currently are “carbon intense”. Also mentions of Nuclear energy and hydrogen with giants like Microsoft, Meta, and Google being involved. Very important to keep track as it seems to be at the forefront of every government policy.

The number of data centres to be expected by 2030 have grown tremendously with the US, UK, and China announcing major grants to push for AI development in the country. Data centre plans are outpacing the scalability of renewables and thus will rely heavily on LNG. Several nuclear set-ups in the conversation.

Volume of Mentions from Energy Considered’s Key Opinion Leaders:

Unlock Full Access to this Insight

To continue reading this briefing and explore deeper insights, register for access to our Energy Insights Portal. Inside, you’ll find:

  • Extended editorial briefings with in-depth analysis and empirical data drawn from 5,000 of the world’s most influential commentators on the energy industry on key issues shaping the energy sector.
  • Monthly and quarterly data identifying and tracking how energy industry leaders are engaging with critical topics.
  • In depth research explaining why energy industry leaders are engaging with these key issues and providing the context and framework for further exploration.
  • Quantitative primary research conducted with responses from energy industry leaders on our panel, providing unique answers to the issues affecting the global energy industry.
  • Power BI dashboards offering dynamic exploration of 5,000 energy key opinion leaders, social and digital narrative analysed against 14 strategic and tactical energy industry metrics.
  • Expert interpretation of what these issues really mean to the industry and what decisions can be taken on the back of unprecedented empirical evidence.
See our Solutions Get in Touch

Please to access exclusive research and data-driven analysis.