Global data centers are projected to consume nearly three times the combined annual electricity of Nigeria, Pakistan, and Bangladesh by 2030, according to a United Nations report released on Wednesday. The report, published by the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, attributes this surge primarily to the widespread adoption of everyday artificial intelligence rather than model training alone.
Electricity consumption from data centers is expected to rise from 448 terawatt-hours in 2025 to 945 TWh by 2030, with AI accounting for 40% of that total, up from roughly one-fifth today. For context, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria together are home to more than 650 million people. Water consumption from these facilities is projected to more than double, from 4.5 trillion liters to 9.3 trillion liters by 2030—enough to meet the basic water needs of 1.3 billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Carbon emissions are forecast to climb from 189 million tons to 399 million tons over the same period, while the land footprint of data centers will expand from 6,900 square kilometers to more than 14,500 square kilometers.
The report identifies inference—the continuous operation of deployed AI models to answer everyday user queries—as the dominant cost driver, accounting for 80% to 90% of total AI energy use. If current growth trends persist, global data center electricity consumption could nearly double to 945 TWh by 2030. The report documents cases where data center expansion has already collided with local resource limits. In Ireland, data centers accounted for 21% of total metered electricity in 2023, exceeding all urban households combined, prompting the national grid operator to pause new approvals around Dublin until 2028.
Only 32 countries currently host AI-specialized data centers, with more than 90% of global AI compute capacity concentrated in just two: the United States and China. More than 150 countries have little or no access to sovereign AI computing infrastructure. Nigeria’s active push to attract data center investment, anchored in the National Cloud Policy 2025 and accelerated by facilities like Kasi Cloud’s LOS1 commissioned in Lagos in May 2026, positions the country to capture economic benefits from AI infrastructure. This development comes amid broader shifts in the financial landscape, as the Dmo Opens June with fresh bond issuances, while the Ngx Loses N478.7 billion in market capitalization amid investor caution. Meanwhile, the Dangote Refinery Targets increased production to stabilize domestic fuel supply, and Nigeria Business Confidence shows tentative signs of recovery as policy reforms take hold. Additionally, Abbey Mortgage Bank has announced new digital lending products to expand access to credit.
