How much electricity does AI consume? (hannahritchie.substack.com)

A recent analysis has shed light on the electricity consumption of artificial intelligence (AI), indicating that approximately 0.5% of the world's electricity supply was used by AI systems in 2025, with AI-focused data centers projected to account for about 3% by 2030. The study highlighted that while global data centers utilize 1.5% of electricity, those dedicated specifically to AI consume significantly less, suggesting a substantial growth in demand, particularly in the U.S. and regions like Ireland where data centers account for over 20% of electricity usage. Understanding these metrics is crucial as the AI/ML community explores the sustainability of rapidly advancing technologies. The report also revealed that individual queries to AI models such as ChatGPT typically consume between 0.1 to 0.6 watt-hours—much lower than some commonly used appliances. However, it poses a critical question regarding the majority of electricity used by AI systems: less than 2% of the energy consumed by AI servers is attributed to individual queries, leaving a significant portion unaccounted for. This discrepancy suggests a larger impact from AI’s integration into various digital services and industries, reminding stakeholders of the hidden costs of AI deployment, such as in content moderation and enterprise solutions, which could influence future energy policies and AI development strategies.