Ireland’s data centers consumed 23 percent of the country’s electricity last year after their power use rose 360 percent in a decade. Consumption is projected to soon match the total used by all homes combined. The growth continues despite a moratorium on new data center grid connections.
The surge reflects rapid expansion of server facilities across the country. Data centers now draw a share of national power that has grown sharply since 2015.
Officials have maintained restrictions on new connections to the electricity grid. Despite these limits, existing centers continue to increase overall demand.
Projections indicate that data center usage will reach the level of all household consumption in the coming years. The figures come from recent industry analysis of national power distribution.
