AI data centers are being proposed across the Midwest, including here in Wisconsin. While many developers have not disclosed the power demands of these projects, a recent draft Strategic Energy Assessment from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin reveals that the power needs of just a handful AI data centers in our state will be substantial. This analysis helps contextualize AI data center power demand for the general public by comparing it with household consumption.
Key Points
- 1 gigawatt (GW) of data center demand equals the power needs of more than 1.1 million Wisconsin homes. According to a recent draft report from the Public Service Commission, three AI data centers will drive peak load growth in Wisconsin up 4.17 GW by 2032. Three AI data centers in Wisconsin will use as much energy as 4.7 million Wisconsin homes. The state only has about 2.8 million housing units.
- Data Centers are Proliferating: Wisconsin’s energy utilities are involved in the early planning of AI data center projects, sometimes playing an active role in bringing them to our state.
Summary
Based on the recent draft Strategic Energy Assessment from the Public Service Commission, three AI data centers will drive peak load growth in Wisconsin up 4.17 GW by 2032 — more than double the energy use of every home in Wisconsin combined.
In this analysis, we contextualize this data center energy demand by comparing it to household electricity consumption in Wisconsin. Power is a measure of the rate at which electricity is being consumed. Household energy consumption is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Energy consumption is the total amount of electricity used over time (i.e., multiplying power by time). Thus, to facilitate this analysis and directly compare power vs. energy numbers, we had to make a simplifying assumption of household energy use. We applied average monthly household electricity consumption in Wisconsin across all 12 months, assuming a continuous power draw. This results in an approximate average power demand of a Wisconsin household to compare to AI data center demand.
Important Takeaways
- AI Data Centers Cause a Surge in Energy Demand: Three AI data centers in Wisconsin will use more than twice as much energy as all of the homes in Wisconsin combined.
- Transparency is Scarce: Wisconsin data center developers and host utilities rarely disclose the energy demands of projects to the public early in the local approval process.
- Energy Needs Raise Concerns Over Indirect Water Use: AI data center facilities will not only use water on site, but the power plants built to serve them will also need water. For example, gas-fired power plants use 2,803 gallons of water per MWh of energy produced.
