TrendForce: US Data Centers Could Face a 170GW Power Gap by 2030 TrendForce projects global data center power demand capacity to triple from 161GW in 2026 to 490GW by 2030, driven by accelerating AI server deployments AI servers are expected to account for 54% of total demand by 2030, up from 33% in 2026, with their power requirements increasing from 54GW to 264GW The critical turning point is 2028, when grid connection delays could leave data centers with installed computing equipment but insufficient electricity to operate it The full 171.7GW gap is not an established electricity shortage. Of this figure, 124GW represents demand beyond Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's existing forecast. TrendForce estimates actual grid delivery shortfalls of 49GW against that reference scenario The largest projected regional shortfalls are concentrated in PJM (19.5GW), ERCOT (11.2GW), and MISO (7.6GW) PJM alone could see data center load growth of 29GW by 2030, against a deliverable baseline of just 9–10GW Grid upgrades, transformers, substations, and transmission infrastructure require years to complete, while permitting and interconnection delays add further constraints $IREN $HUT $CIFR $GLXY $CORZ $KEEL $CLSK