How AI is reshaping global energy challenges
The growth of AI makes digital planning, electrical capacity and local grid conditions part of the same decision.
Artificial intelligence is changing demand for computing, but the energy debate benefits from precision. Data Centers used about 415 TWh in 2024, close to 1.5% of global electricity consumption. The International Energy Agency estimates that this could reach about 945 TWh in 2030, with significant uncertainty around AI adoption and efficiency improvements.[1]
Those figures describe a global trajectory. For an individual project, the difficult questions are usually much more local. They concern the substation, the transmission network and whether essential electrical equipment can actually be delivered in time.
Local capacity becomes a site decision
The International Energy Agency estimates that about 20% of planned Data Center projects could face delays if grid constraints are not addressed. It also notes that new transmission lines can take four to eight years to build in advanced economies.[1] Requested power should never be confused with capacity available within the project schedule.
France illustrates this distinction. RTE reports steady growth in consumption from dedicated sites, while noting that new facilities ramp up gradually. For sites connected to the transmission system, average use of connection capacity stood at 22% at the end of 2025.[2] A credible forecast separates reserved power, installed power and the load that will actually be drawn.
Plan computing and electricity together
The conversation should begin before a site is confirmed. Load profiles, the pace of room deployment, redundancy, storage and possible flexibility all influence the connection solution. Some computing can move in time, but that flexibility depends on service requirements and cannot simply be assumed.
The right response is neither to minimise AI demand nor to treat every project as a threat to the grid. It is to document assumptions, test several scenarios and involve the grid operator early. This is how digital strategy, Data Center design and the energy pathway become one coherent plan.
Research
Sources and references
This analysis is an original TALINTS synthesis. Source markers in the text link to the public publications consulted.
