Powering ChatGPT and the world's data centers in 2026 will require more than 1,000 TWh of electricity — equivalent to Japan's entire consumption.

Powering ChatGPT and the world’s data centers in 2026 will require more than 1,000 TWh of electricity — equivalent to Japan’s entire consumption.

Written by Douglas Avila

Published on 01/05/2026 at 06:22

Updated on 01/05/2026 at 06:23

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In just three years, the world’s data centers have doubled their electricity consumption — and by 2026 they will burn as much electricity as all of Japan just to sustain the artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies that have dominated the internet

AI data centers are on the verge of transforming the planet’s energy map. According to the Electricity 2024 – Analysis and Forecast to 2026 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the electricity consumption of these centers could exceed 1,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2026 — equivalent to the total consumption of the world’s third-largest economy, Japan.

In 2022, the figure was 460 TWh, equivalent to 2% of global electricity demand. For 2026, the IEA projects a base scenario between 650 and 1,050 TWh, with the most likely version above one thousand. In other words, consumption practically doubles in just four years.

The main driver of this explosion is artificial intelligence. Indeed, large generative models — such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok — require graphics processing units (GPUs) operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Compared to the pre-AI internet, each query made by common users consumes up to 10 times more energy than a traditional Google search.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Powering ChatGPT and the world’s data centers in 2026 will require more than 1,000 TWh of electricity — equivalent to Japan’s entire consumption.

In just three years, the world’s data centers have doubled their electricity consumption — and by 2026 they will burn as much electricity as all of Japan just to sustain the artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies that have dominated the internet

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Powering ChatGPT and the world’s data centers in 2026 will require more than 1,000 TWh of electricity — equivalent to Japan’s entire consumption.

In just three years, the world’s data centers have doubled their electricity consumption — and by 2026 they will burn as much electricity as all of Japan just to sustain the artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies that have dominated the internet

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

Using high-resolution satellite images, archaeologists rediscovered the Egyptian city of Imet, buried for centuries in the Nile Delta, revealing rare multi-story houses, granaries, and a sacred road linked to the cobra goddess Wadjet, from about 2,400 years ago.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

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