Data centers across the US market will require 22 percent more grid-based power by the end of the year, compared to last year, according to a new report by S&P Global.

The report also revealed that data centers will require nearly three times as much grid-based power by 2030 as they did last year.

According to a forecast from 451 Research, part of S&P Global, utility power provided to hyperscale, leased, and crypto-mining data centers will rise by roughly 11.3GW in 2025 to 61.8GW.

In 2026, US data center demand is projected to rise to 75.8GW for IT equipment, cooling, lighting, and other uses, and expand to 108GW in 2028, and 134.4GW in 2030. The outlook does not include enterprise-owned data centers outside of hyperscale tech giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Apple.

Despite forecasting significant demand increases, the forecast notes that some utilities are reporting declining data center interconnection requests. S&P highlights the recent announcement by American Electric Power Ohio (AEP) that it had cut its data center pipeline in half, with demand falling from more than 30GW to 13GW.

The reduction, according to AEP Ohio, was the result of a new data center tariff, approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) in July, that required data centers to pay for a portion of their energy requests, even if the electricity is not ultimately needed. Due to the tariff, AEP was able to remove "the most speculative or uncertain data center projects," said a spokesperson.

While demand fell abruptly in Ohio, demand across other states is expected to remain very high.

As noted by forecasts from 451 Research, data center electricity demand in Virginia is projected to reach approximately 12.1GW in 2025, up from 9.3GW in 2024.

In Texas, power consumption from data centers is expected to climb to around 9.7GW this year, up from just under 8GW in the previous year, fueled largely by crypto-mining operations and leasing activity.

Meanwhile, Oregon’s data center power demand is expected to exceed 4GW by the end of 2025, up from 3.5GW last year. Other states - including Arizona, Georgia, Ohio, California, Illinois, and Iowa - are projected to record statewide data center demand ranging from 2.3GW to 3.2GW, according to the same analysis.

Reflecting on the report, Stefanie Williams, a senior analyst at 451 Research, said: "Ample land, reasonable power costs, dense fiber, and demand from hyperscalers continue to drive growth in the state.

"Additionally, we see significant growth in Ohio, particularly around Columbus, where data center operators have clustered for years."

The report also notes that demand is increasing in several smaller markets, namely, Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and smaller cities in West Texas. Unlike in more established markets, due to grid limitations, onsite power options have grown in popularity, often centered on areas with ample natural gas supply, such as the Permian Basin in Texas.

"This is largely driven by the search for stranded power and alternative energy generation opportunities," Williams said.