AI-driven data centres accelerate electricity demand: Capgemini report

AI-driven data centres are making electricity demand harder to predict, with utilities turning to AI to optimise grids and manage rising power needs

A large majority of electricity executives expect more extreme and less predictable demand spikes, while more than three quarters say they struggle to forecast future needs accurately, according to the Capgemini Research Institute’s latest report, AI meets the grid: Shaping the data center power play. 

The research surveyed over 600 senior electricity executives from organisations with annual revenue exceeding $500 million, across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and Latin America.

 

Data Centre demand

• 77% of electricity executives believe that data-centre energy demand will grow faster than supply
• 68% of electricity executives even anticipate shortages
• 'Phantom' data centre load distorting demand
• 67% of electricity organisations believe that some data-centre load requests are speculative
• 19% of the data-centre load request received might never materialise

AI promise to power future

• Six out of 10 electricity executives anticipate AI to unlock significant efficiency and operational gains
• 45% say they are using AI for grid optimisation
• 16% of electricity organisations have implemented more advanced AI-driven approaches to optimise power flows