US Data Centers Could Consume 194GW by 2035 as New Projects Emerge in Virginia, Ohio, and Australia

Data center power consumption in the United States could reach 194 gigawatts by 2035, according to a new report, representing roughly 20 percent of the nation's total electricity use. The projection comes as developers advance plans for large-scale facilities in Virginia, Ohio, and Australia, each facing distinct energy and regulatory challenges.

The report, cited by Data Center Dynamics, forecasts that US data centers will consume between 74GW and 194GW by 2035, up from an estimated 31GW in 2024. The upper end of that range would equal the output of nearly 200 large power plants.

Petersburg, Virginia, advances four data centers without rezoning

In Petersburg, Virginia, details have emerged for four data center projects that did not require rezoning, according to filings reviewed by Data Center Dynamics. The sites are part of a broader wave of development in the state, which hosts the world's largest concentration of data centers in Northern Virginia. Petersburg, located about 25 miles south of Richmond, is attracting developers seeking available land and power capacity outside the constrained Loudoun County market.

• Four separate data center projects are planned for Petersburg, each on land already zoned for industrial use.
• The projects bypass the rezoning process, which can delay construction by months or years.
• Virginia's data center industry consumed more than 4GW in 2024, with projections of 10GW by 2030.

Gas-powered campus in Australia and Ohio project signal new energy strategies

In Australia, Beetaloo Energy is planning a gigawatt-scale data center campus outside Darwin that would be powered by natural gas from the Beetaloo Basin. The facility, if built, would be one of the largest gas-powered data centers globally, raising questions about emissions and grid integration. Meanwhile, a real estate firm is exploring a potential data center project in Amherst, Ohio, though the plan remains in preliminary stages. Ohio has emerged as a secondary data center market due to its low power costs and available land.

The 194GW projection underscores the tension between data center growth and energy supply. Utilities in Virginia, Ohio, and other states are grappling with how to meet demand without straining grids or delaying renewable energy targets. Some developers are turning to on-site gas generation, as in Australia, while others push for faster permitting and grid upgrades.

What comes next depends on regulatory decisions and technology shifts. The rise of quantum computing, which some experts say could be delivered as a cloud service within a decade, may further increase power demands. Data center operators are already testing liquid cooling and modular designs to improve efficiency, but the scale of projected growth means even modest efficiency gains will have outsized impact. For now, the industry is racing to build capacity wherever power and land are available, from Virginia to the Australian outback.