New research shows that data centres now use 6% of all electricity in both the United Kingdom and the United States. This is much higher than the global average of 2%. The increase is linked to the fast growth of artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

This rise in energy consumption is making it harder for national power systems to keep up. In the UK, there are now long wait times to connect new centres to the network. Other countries, like Singapore and Lithuania, also face high demand and pressure on their electricity supply.

There are now growing worries about the effect on climate and other important services. Environmental groups are concerned about carbon emissions from these centres. Governments need to find a balance between technology growth and a stable energy system.