The math behind building data centers on Earth no longer works on the ground alone.
Global data centers consumed about 415 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2025, and demand is climbing fast. Installed capacity is expected to nearly double by 2030, growing from roughly 100 gigawatts today to almost 200 gigawatts, driven largely by artificial intelligence.
The problem is that infrastructure isn't keeping up. Finding land is harder, securing electricity is harder, and permits can take years. In emerging markets such as Mumbai, connecting a new data center to the grid takes about two years; in constrained markets like Amsterdam and Tokyo, the wait can stretch close to a decade. Geopolitical tensions are also shrinking the number of places companies consider safe for critical digital infrastructure.
Water, once a major obstacle, is becoming less of one. Closed-loop cooling has sharply reduced consumption — according to QTS Data Centers, a modern facility now uses l
