US data center power use could jump 50% if permitted sites come online

An analysis of US data center permits shows that if all facilities permitted through 2025 come online, they would consume between 224.3 terawatt-hours and 358.8 terawatt-hours of electricity annually — roughly a 50% increase over the previous year. At the midpoint of that range, projected consumption would exceed the electricity used by any single US state in 2024 except Texas.

The jump is largely driven by hyperscale centers, those using 40 megawatts or more each, and permit activity surged in 2025 with 176 new data centers across 34 states — the most in a single year since the first permit was issued in 1976. Many planned facilities are vast and sited in rural areas.

Amazon’s proposed 14-building complex in Ridgeland, Mississippi, would transform nearly 800 acres of woodland; Microsoft’s nine buildings in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, would cover more than 5.2 million square feet on land nearly the size of Central Park.

United States, Ridgeland, Mississippi; Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin

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