Chinese (Simplified) 
Chinese (Traditional) 
English 
French 
Alemão 
Italian 
Japanese 
Norwegian 
Spanish 
6 min read
0 comments
While you’re watching a video, sending messages or using an app, there’s an invisible giant working tirelessly behind the scenes of the internet. And it’s consuming as much energy as an entire city.
Today, a single 10-megawatt (MW) data center — a common power source for large-scale centers — can consume the same amount of electricity as a city with 100 inhabitants. This is according to Roberto Beauclair, director of Cepel (Eletrobras Electric Energy Research Center). This comparison helps to measure the growing impact of data centers, structures that are essential for the digital age, but which increasingly require more infrastructure, energy and regulation.
In Brazil, the scenario is already starting to cause concern. According to the Ten-Year Energy Expansion Plan (PDE 2034), the national energy consumption by data centers will come to 2,5 gigawatts (GW) in 2037. This is equivalent to the energy expenditure of 25 million people, even surpassing the current population of Greater São Paulo. With this projection, the question that arises is: are we prepared to deal with the explosive growth and data center consumption?
What is a data center and what does it store?
Although invisible to the general public, data centers are behind virtually everything we do online. In simple terms, a data center is a highly controlled and secure environment where thousands of servers, routers, storage systems and databases are installed. They function as a gigantic nerve center that keeps all of our digital services alive and accessible.
-
29-meter-deep underwater tunnel will connect Brazilian cities
-
Car that lasts a lifetime: mechanics reveal two brands that cause the least problems
-
Brazil will house the most modern Coca-Cola factory in the world and the city has already been decided
-
Famous Italian motorcycle brand lands in Brazil and begins national production
Buy
It is within these centers that sensitive information from companies, governments and individuals is stored: from private messages and cloud files, to financial systems, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, digital health, logistics and defense. Large companies such as Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure operate hyperscalars — that is, facilities with hundreds of thousands of servers that process data for billions of users in real time, non-stop.
How cooling and power redundancy work
All this volume of processed data generates an intense amount of heat. Servers operating 24 hours a day require highly sophisticated refrigeration systems to maintain the ideal operating temperature. The average thermal temperature of equipment is around 18 to 27 °C, and any variation can cause failures or millions in losses. Therefore, data centers use solutions such as precision air conditioning, chilled water cooling, free cooling in cold climates and even direct liquid cooling systems.
Another essential point is energy. A data center must operate continuously and with high reliability. Therefore, in addition to the conventional power grid, the facilities have multiple redundancy systems, such as uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), diesel generators, solar panels and high-capacity batteries. In Tier 4 structures, fault tolerance is minimal: availability must be 99,995%.
All this equipment results in a huge energy expenditure. From refrigeration to redundancy, each step is designed to ensure that nothing stops — even if it costs as much as powering an entire city.
Real-world examples: the global impact of companies like Google, AWS and Microsoft
Leading technology companies operate the largest data centers on the planet—veritable digital industrial complexes. Amazon Web Services (AWS), for example, has a presence in more than 30 regions around the world, with hundreds of data centers. Google maintains advanced facilities in the US, such as the one in The Dalles, Oregon, which uses water from the Columbia River for cooling and operates with climate neutrality goals.
Already Microsoft, through Azure, develops submerged data centers and invests in renewable energy for all its operations by 2030.
These hubs are not just technical facilities: they are strategic pieces of global power. Controlling data infrastructure is now as important as controlling oil reserves or supply chains. Each of these giants invests billions a year in energy efficiency, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence to keep operations running while minimizing environmental impact.
Brazil on the data center route: potential and challenges
Brazil currently has 181 data centers in operation, according to data from EPE. By 2034, this number could jump to 500 units, driven by the increased use of artificial intelligence, cloud storage and digitalization of the public sector. In 2024, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) was analyzing 42 new requests for the installation of data centers — a significant increase in relation to the 12 projects in 2023.
The preferred locations for new ventures are the Southeast and South regions, where the consumer market is concentrated, as well as the Northeast, which stands out for its proximity to submarine cables connecting to Europe and the USA and for its supply of renewable energy. States such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Ceará and Piauí lead this race.
Piauí, for example, is betting on SPA (Export Processing Zone)) from Parnaiba, where companies can import equipment without paying taxes such as ICMS. The proposal is to create a national hub for digital infrastructure, with tax incentives and access to clean energy. The governor Rafael Fonteles has advocated that Brazil enter the geopolitics of data once and for all, saying that “the dispute should not be between states, but between countries”.
The environmental impacts of data center consumption
Despite technological advances, data centers are significant sources of environmental impact. According to estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA), they are already responsible for around 1% of all global electricity consumption — a number that could rise with the popularization of generative AI, metaverse, blockchain, and 5G.
In Brazil, although the energy matrix is cleaner than in many countries, the high consumption of resources — especially for cooling and power backup — is still a concern. The intensive use of water, indirect emissions associated with diesel generators and the disposal of equipment (electronic waste) place data centers at the center of the debate on ecological transition.
Furthermore, the concentration of these centers in metropolitan regions can generate disputes over energy and pressure on the electrical infrastructure, which requires coordinated planning with distributors and the National System Operator (ONS).
Why data centers are essential to modern life
Even with their challenges, data centers are indispensable structures for modern life. They support the functioning of digital platforms, banking networks, health systems, urban transport, and even schools and public services. Without them, practically everything would stop: there would be no emails, social networks, cloud storage, video calls, or electronic payments.
In the current context, where artificial intelligence and automation are gaining more and more space, data centers become even more strategic. They are the ones that process AI models, run language algorithms, store billions of parameters and distribute content globally in milliseconds.
Furthermore, they are at the heart of the digital economy. Every food order, every ride on an app, every bank transfer ultimately depends on the proper functioning of one or more data centers. Therefore, thinking about its efficiency, regulation and impact is thinking about the future of digital civilization.
The growth of data centers in Brazil and around the world is irreversible. They are the backbone of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, real-time communication and networked life. However, this advancement brings with it an increasingly significant energy consumption, comparable to that of entire cities, which requires an equally robust response in terms of planning, sustainability and innovation.
Discuss the data center that consumes the same energy as a city of 100 inhabitants is more than a technical curiosity. It is a warning about the challenges that the digital age poses to energy and environmental infrastructure. And the time to act is now — before the future takes us offline.
