How AI is Redrawing the World’s Electricity Maps: Insights from the IEA Report

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not only the transformation of technology; It also greatly changes the global energy sector. According to the latest report issued by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the rapid growth of AI, especially in data centers, causes a significant increase in the demand for electricity. At the same time, artificial intelligence also provides opportunities for the energy sector to become more efficient, sustainable and flexible. This transformation is expected to turn greatly the way we create electricity, consumption and management.

The increasing electricity requirements of artificial intelligence

One of the most immediate effects that artificial intelligence has on global electricity consumption is the growth of data centers. These facilities, which provide the arithmetic energy needed to operate the models of artificial intelligence, are already major electricity consumers. When artificial intelligence technologies become more powerful and foreign, it is expected that the demand for computing strength – and the energy required to support it – is expected to increase significantly. According to the report, the electricity consumption of data centers is expected to exceed 945 TwH by 2030, which is more than twice the levels seen in 2024. This increase is mainly driven by the increasing demand for artificial intelligence models that require high performance computing, especially those that use accelerated servers.

Currently, data centers consume about 1.5 % of global electricity. However, their share of global electricity demand is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. This is primarily due to the dependence of artificial intelligence on specialized devices such as the accelerated graphics and servers units. Amnesty International’s intense nature will play a major role in determining the future of electricity consumption.

Regional differences in the effect of artificial intelligence energy

Electricity consumption is not distributed evenly around the world. The United States, China and Europe are the largest share of electricity demand at the global data center. In the United States, databases are expected to contribute in nearly half of the country’s electricity demand growth by 2030. At the same time, emerging economies such as Southeast Asia and India will suffer from the development of the rapid data center, although demand growth remains less compared to developed countries.

The concentration of data centers is unique challenges for electricity networks, especially in areas where the infrastructure is already under pressure. High energy requirements for these centers can lead to network congestion and delay in communicating with the network. For example, the US Data Center projects have faced long waiting times due to the limited network capacity, a problem that may worsen without the appropriate planning.

Strategies to meet the increasing energy requirements of artificial intelligence

The IEA report proposes several strategies to meet the increasing electricity requirements of artificial intelligence while ensuring the reliability of the network. One of the main strategy is to diversify energy sources. While renewable energy will play a major role in meeting the increasing demand from databases, other sources such as natural gas, nuclear energy and emerging technologies such as SMRS will also contribute.

Renewable energy sources are expected to provide nearly half of the global growth in demand for the data center by 2035, due to its economic competitiveness and the fastest development schedules of development. However, the balance between the intermittent nature of renewable energy with the continuous demand of data centers will require strong energy storage solutions and flexible network management. In addition, artificial intelligence itself can play a role in promoting energy efficiency, which helps to improve the power plant processes and improve network management.

The role of artificial intelligence in improving the energy sector

AI is also a powerful tool for improving energy systems. It can enhance energy production, reduce operational costs, and improve renewable energy integration in current networks. Using artificial intelligence for actual time monitoring, predictive maintenance, improving network, energy companies can increase efficiency and reduce emissions. IEA is estimated that AI’s wide dependence can save up to $ 110 billion annually in the electricity sector by 2035. The IEA report also sheds light on many major applications for how to improve demand efficiency and supply in the energy sector:

• Prediction of supply and demand: Artificial intelligence enhances the ability to predict the availability of renewable energy, which is necessary to integrate changing sources into the network. For example, the artificial intelligence -based intelligence of Google has increased from the financial value of wind energy by 20 % through accurate expectations for 36 hours. This allows the facilities to improve the balance between supply and demand, which reduces dependence on backup copies of fossil fuel.
• Prediction maintenance: Artificial intelligence monitors energy infrastructure, such as power and turbine lines, to predict errors before leading to power outages. E.on reduced the power outage by up to 30 % using machine learning of medium voltage cables, and ENEL achieved a 15 % decrease with sensor -based artificial intelligence systems.
• Network management: Artificial intelligence processes data from sensors and smart standards to improve energy flow, especially at the distribution level. This guarantees stable and effective network operations, even with the continued growth of the number of devices connected to the network.
• Request response: Artificial intelligence allows better prediction of electricity prices and dynamic pricing models, encouraging consumers to convert use to peak times. This reduces network stress and reduces the costs of both facilities and consumers.
• Consumer services: AI enhances customer experience through applications and chatbots, improve bills and energy management. Companies such as Octopus Energy and Oracle Utailays lead examples of this innovation.

In addition, artificial intelligence can help reduce energy consumption by improving the efficiency of capacitors of energy, such as power generation and transportation. When the energy sector becomes more digital, artificial intelligence will play a decisive role in the budget of supply and demand.

Challenges and road forward

While integrating artificial intelligence into the energy sector carries a great promise, the uncertainty exist. The speed of adopting artificial intelligence, progress in the efficiency of artificial intelligence devices, and the ability of energy sectors to meet the increasing demand are all factors that can affect the consumption of electricity in the future. The IEA report determines many scenarios, with the most optimistic projection indicating an increase in demand for more than 45 % until after current expectations.

To ensure that the growth of artificial intelligence does not exceed the energy sector’s ability, countries will need to focus on strengthening the network infrastructure, enhancing flexible data center operations, and ensuring that energy production can meet the needs of advanced artificial intelligence. Cooperation between the energy and technology sectors, as well as strategic planning for policies, will be necessary for risk management and the use of artificial intelligence capabilities in the energy sector.

The bottom line

Artificial intelligence greatly changes the global electricity sector. While the increasing energy demand in databases creates challenges, it also provides the energy sector opportunities for development and improving efficiency. Using artificial intelligence to enhance energy use and diversify energy sources, we can meet the increasing energy needs of Amnesty International in a sustainable way. The energy sector should quickly adapt to support AI’s rapid growth while using artificial intelligence to improve energy systems. Over the course of the next decade, we can expect major changes in how to generate electricity, distribute and consume it, driven by the intersection of artificial intelligence and the digital economy.