Concluded·New·in the edition since 2 Oct 2026·4 sources·updated 2 Oct 2026

TrendForce datacenter power demand outlook

The gist

TrendForce Projects Datacenter Power Demand to Reach 490 GW by 2030

Sustained 30%-plus annual growth in data center power demand through 2027 puts significant pressure on electricity infrastructure. A projected 268 GW gap between grid capacity and data center demand by 2030 points to potential supply constraints.

The full picture

TrendForce puts global data center power demand at 122.9 GW in 2025, rising to 161 GW in 2026, a roughly 31% year-over-year increase. AI servers are the primary driver, projected to account for 33.4% of total data center power demand capacity in 2026. Annual growth is expected to stay above 30% through at least 2027, with demand reaching 211 GW by end-2027, and 490.7 GW by 2030. TrendForce also projects a grid-capacity gap of approximately 268 GW by 2030, meaning available grid supply is not expected to cover projected data center demand growth. Data center operators are beginning to plan for high-voltage direct current power architectures in response to rising power density.

How it developed

First in the edition · 2 October 2026

26 September 2026

TrendForce projected in September 2026 that global data center power demand will rise from 122.9 GW in 2025 to 490.7 GW by 2030, with AI servers identified as the primary growth driver, projected at 33.4% of total data center power demand capacity in 2026.

Annual growth is expected to stay above 30% through at least 2027, reaching 211 GW by end-2027. TrendForce also projected a grid-capacity gap of approximately 268 GW by 2030, and noted data center operators are beginning to plan for high-voltage direct current power architectures in response to rising power density.

First citedRohan Paul Twitter reddit.com trendforce.com ground.news

16 September 2026

TrendForce publishes forecast: 161 GW in 2026, AI servers at 33.4% of demand, HVDC planning emerging

Sources

Rohan Paul Twitter