AI Boom Could Push Belgium's Data Center Power Demand Up Eightfold by 2034

Belgium's data center electricity consumption is on track for an eightfold increase over the next decade, driven by rapid growth in artificial intelligence applications, according to a report by Anadolu Agency.

The report states that the country's 47 large data centers currently use a combined 3.2 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually. That figure is expected to climb to 27.3 TWh by 2034, according to the projections cited in the report.

The anticipated surge underscores the growing energy footprint of the AI sector, as data centers supporting machine learning and other computationally intensive applications require substantially more power than traditional computing infrastructure.

Anadolu Agency did not specify in the excerpt reviewed the source of the projections or provide further details on the methodology used to arrive at the 2034 estimate. The report did not elaborate on how Belgium's energy grid or policymakers plan to accommodate the anticipated rise in demand.

The trend mirrors similar concerns raised in other countries, where the rapid expansion of data center capacity to meet AI workloads has raised questions about electricity supply, grid capacity and the environmental impact of increased energy consumption.