Ameresco Insights
Designing Power: AI Is Creating a New Power Infrastructure Challenge
Published September 29, 2026
October 20, 2026
Designing Power: Why Power Strategy Is Becoming a Business Strategy
Artificial intelligence is often described as a digital revolution. The tools are digital. The applications are digital. The user experience feels almost invisible. But the infrastructure supporting AI is anything but virtual.
Behind every prompt, generated image, cloud upload, and AI-driven workflow are data centers, cooling systems, servers, and physical assets operating continuously to process and deliver the services many people rely on daily. What appears effortless onscreen is supported by an immense and growing demand for electricity in the physical world.
As AI adoption accelerates, a new challenge is emerging: can power infrastructure keep pace with demand?
The Conversation Around AI Is Expanding
For the past several years, AI discussions have focused on advances in models, computing capabilities, and application development. An underlying question is starting to shape conversations among technology companies, utilities, developers, policymakers, and infrastructure providers: Where will the power come from?
And the scale of projected demand is significant. The International Energy Agency estimates that global electricity consumption from data centers could grow from approximately 460 terawatt-hours in 2024 to more than 1,000 terawatt-hours by 2030, driven largely by AI workloads. At the same time, data centers are expected to account for more than 20% of electricity demand growth in advanced economies through the end of the decade.
Data Centers Are Critical Infrastructure
Data centers were once viewed primarily as facilities that stored and processed information. Today, they are becoming foundational infrastructure for the modern economy. They support everything from cloud computing and financial systems to healthcare applications, industrial operations, research activities, and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. As demand for digital services continues to grow, so does the importance of the infrastructure that powers them.
Today the industry sits at the crossroads of building additional computing capacity and ensuring sufficient power infrastructure is available to support that growth. In many regions, access to power is becoming a key factor in how quickly new facilities can be developed and brought online.
Why Power Infrastructure Matters Beyond AI
Although AI is drawing attention to today’s power challenge, the implications extend beyond the technology sector. Manufacturers expanding production capacity, healthcare systems modernizing facilities, educational institutions fostering the next generation, and municipalities investing in future development all depend on reliable access to energy.
The same power infrastructure that supports data centers also supports economic development, community resilience, and business growth. As energy demand increases, organizations are paying closer attention to how power is generated, delivered, managed, and maintained. Reliable access to energy is a strategic consideration beyond an operational requirement.
A Defining Infrastructure Challenge
For decades, roads, bridges, rail networks, and ports helped support economic expansion by connecting people and goods. Today’s economy increasingly depends on a different kind of infrastructure. Power infrastructure is becoming a critical enabler of digital growth.
The organizations and communities best positioned for the future will be those that can secure, deploy, and manage the energy resources needed to support growing demand. The future of AI will be shaped by innovation in software and computing. It will also be shaped by the power infrastructure that makes those innovations possible.
This article accompanies the latest episode in Ameresco’s Designing Power video series, “Why AI Is Creating a New Power Infrastructure Challenge.” Watch the video to explore how growing AI adoption is increasing demand for power infrastructure and why reliable energy is becoming a critical factor in the future of the digital economy.
How is AI increasing demand for power infrastructure?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing demand for power infrastructure because AI applications depend on data centers, servers, and cooling systems that require continuous electricity. As AI adoption expands, electricity demand grows alongside it, making power infrastructure an increasingly important foundation for digital services and AI-driven workloads.
Why are data centers becoming critical infrastructure for AI and the digital economy?
Data centers are becoming critical infrastructure because they support AI workloads, cloud computing, financial systems, healthcare applications, industrial operations, and research activities. As demand for digital services increases, data centers are playing a more central role in supporting economic activity and digital growth.
How much could data center electricity consumption grow by 2030?
Data centers could increase global electricity consumption from approximately 460 terawatt-hours in 2024 to more than 1,000 terawatt-hours by 2030, according to figures cited from the International Energy Agency. The projected growth highlights the scale of increasing electricity demand associated with expanding AI workloads.
Why is power availability becoming a key factor in new data center development?
Power availability is becoming a key factor in new data center development because access to reliable electricity increasingly affects how quickly facilities can be developed and brought online. In many regions, sufficient power infrastructure is becoming essential for supporting additional computing capacity.
Why does the AI power infrastructure challenge matter beyond the technology sector?
Power infrastructure supports more than AI and data centers. Manufacturers, healthcare systems, educational institutions, municipalities, and businesses all depend on reliable energy to operate, modernize, and grow. As electricity demand increases, power infrastructure is becoming an important consideration across multiple sectors of the economy.
How does reliable power infrastructure support economic growth and community development?
Reliable power infrastructure supports economic growth by enabling business operations, digital services, community development, and future expansion. The same energy systems that power data centers also support broader economic activity, making dependable access to electricity increasingly important as demand continues to rise.
What role will power infrastructure play in the future of AI?
Power infrastructure will play a critical role in the future of AI because growing AI workloads require increasing amounts of energy. While advances in software and computing will continue to drive innovation, access to reliable energy will help determine how effectively organizations can support future AI growth.
Why is power infrastructure becoming a defining challenge for the digital economy?
Power infrastructure is becoming a defining challenge for the digital economy because growing demand for AI, cloud computing, and other digital services requires reliable access to energy. Organizations and communities positioned to secure and manage energy resources will be better equipped to support future digital growth and increasing power demand.
