TrendForce 490.7 GW by 2030 projection and 268 GW grid-capacity gap figure reported
Following·Day 16·first covered 16 Sep 2026·4 sources
TrendForce Projects Datacenter Power Demand to Reach 490 GW by 2030
The gist
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
TrendForce publishes forecast: 161 GW in 2026, AI servers at 33.4% of demand, HVDC planning emerging
Sources
Rohan Paul Twitter
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