For some time now, the global AI sector has felt like a runaway train fast approaching the end of its tracks.
Data centres have been expanding far more rapidly than the energy infrastructure required to power them, creating an imbalance between supply and demand.
The numbers behind this trend make for stark reading.
Global data centre electricity consumption is forecast to reach 565TWh in 2026, a 26% increase on the 447TWh recorded in 2025, according to new research from Gartner.
It is a sign, if any were needed, that the infrastructure underpinning the global AI boom is starting to run into a hard physical constraint – the availability of power.
