University of Pennsylvania: Tech Energy Usage May Grow 10 Fold Between 2018-2030

By 2030, the use of global energy supplies by technology may increase up to 10 fold and account for over 21% of global energy consumption according to new research for the University of Pennsylvania.

For perspective, in 2023, China accounted for just over 34% of global energy consumption and the United States accounted for about 16% while supply grew by about 1%. - AWE analysis of research from University of Pennsylvania, the Energy Institute, and other sources.

Tech Total Demand For Global Energy

In 2018, technology accounted for less than 2% of all energy used globally, while just two years later in 2020 that amount had roughly doubled to 4%. By 2030, the amount of global energy dedicated to technology use could likely rise to 21%.

While tech demand on energy increases geometrically with the expanding use of machine learning technologies, the global supply of energy increases annually at generally 1.5-3.5% annually with both the United States and China increasing their energy production by roughly 5.8% in 2022.

The increasing use of machine learning and the vast data centers required by the technology is an emerging story that is clearly tied to increasing energy production. We are monitoring this critical story so keep checking back for more developments.

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