AI Will Account for Just a Sliver of Power Demand, Report Shows

Electricity demand from data centers is forecast to grow as much as 20% a year to the end of the decade, but will still account for just a tiny sliver of global power use, a report showed.

Much has been made of the huge strain on power supply and grids from the burgeoning artificial intelligence industry. Yet the share of demand from AI-driven data centers will rise to just 0.24% by 2026, according to a study by Abu Dhabi National Oil Corp., Masdar and Microsoft Corp.

The report adds to a growing chorus of voices suggesting AI may not lead ...