ChipsSeptember 15, 2026via TechCrunch AI
US data centers could consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035
Why it matters
The compute-intensive race to scale AI is reshaping energy infrastructure and geopolitics. Data-center energy demand is no longer a backend cost — it's a systemic bottleneck that will reshape where AI gets built and who can afford to build it.
Key signals
- US data centers projected to consume natural gas exceeding Germany + Japan combined by 2035
- AI-driven demand as primary driver of growth
- Energy as emerging constraint on compute expansion
- Implication: on-prem vs cloud economics, regional compute availability, buildout feasibility
The hook
By 2035, U.S. data centers alone could guzzle more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined — a hard constraint on the AI buildout nobody's pricing in yet.
The AI frenzy could push U.S. data centers to become one of the largest consumers of natural gas in the world.