{
  "id": 19551473,
  "title": "US bit barn boom sees energy needs grow 10x as fast as grid capacity",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/us-bit-barn-boom-sees-energy-needs-grow-10x-as-fast-as-grid-capacity-19551473",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-11T17:47:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Register",
    "slug": "the-register",
    "url": "https://www.theregister.com/systems/2026/11/11/us-bit-barn-boom-sees-energy-needs-grow-10x-as-fast-as-grid-capacity/5309191"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The rising consumption of electricity by datacenters in the US is growing ten times faster than the expansion of grid capacity, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) and Gartner. This trend, driven by the expansion of AI infrastructure, could soon necessitate datacenters to source a significant portion of their power from alternative sources. Insurance broker Howden predicts that datacenters may need to obtain up to 58 percent of their power off the grid by 2030 to prevent their share of grid capacity from increasing. Currently, datacenters account for 5 percent of US grid capacity, a 50-fold increase from 2000. However, grid capacity has only grown by 2 percent per annum over the same period. Howden's analysis suggests that datacenters would need to expand their on-site generation capacity by 110 gigawatts by 2030 to maintain their current share of grid capacity, a task that seems unlikely. Instead, datacenters are expected to rely more on the grid, potentially face delays in grid development, or turn to alternative power sources. This growing demand for electricity by datacenters poses a significant challenge, with potential revenue losses of $800 million to $2.4 billion for projects facing grid delays of two to six years, according to Howden's Stuart Adam.",
  "summary": "Operators face longer connection waits and a growing need to bring their own electricity",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}