OSU study: AI data centers could consume 1% of the world’s electricity by 2030
An Ohio State University study warns that continued data center growth across the Midwest could put significant pressure on rural energy infrastructure. Researcher Ani Katchova says concentrated data center hubs may increase electricity demand, create transmission bottlenecks and potentially reduce farm profitability, while also contributing to farmland loss.
Ani Katchova, an agricultural economist at Ohio State University, said a recent study projects that data centers could consume about 1% of global electricity by 2030. The study examines the effects of growing data center development across the Midwest, where concentrated facilities could sharply increase demand on local and regional power systems.
Katchova warned that transmission constraints and higher utility costs could particularly affect rural communities and erode on-farm profitability. She said Ohio may face some of the steepest increases in energy demand, while researchers continue to assess how data center expansion and farmland loss could affect the broader food supply.