The International Energy Agency (IEA) has launched an online Energy and AI Observatory to monitor how artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting electricity demand and applications across the energy sector. The platform includes tools tracking data centre electricity consumption and digital infrastructure by region. It also comprises 20 international case studies on AI deployment in energy operations.
Case studies include AI-driven heating, ventilation and cooling optimisation at schools in Stockholm and a campus in Pune, India, as well as gas consumption management and waste heat utilisation at industrial plants in Czechia, Spain and the United States.
Electricity demand from AI-optimised data centres could more than quadruple by 2030, reaching approximately 945 TWh, according to the IEA’s April 2025 Energy and AI report. “AI is being applied to support electricity system operations by improving demand forecasting, optimising system flexibility and assisting grid operators with real-time monitoring and dispatch decisions as electricity loads increase,” the IEA says.
