GoKawiilUS data centers to become world's 5th-largest natural gas consumer by 2035
Bloomberg forecasts that U.S. AI data centers will consume up to 15 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day by 2035, more than double an earlier projection of 6.9 billion cubic feet. The surge stems from operators turning to onsite gas turbine generators as grid power buildouts lag behind AI compute demand, with data centers expected to draw roughly 194 gigawatts, or 20% of U.S. power, by that year.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The shift toward gas turbines shows how AI's power appetite is outpacing the electrical grid's ability to expand, forcing companies to bypass utilities entirely and worsening an existing shortage of turbine components shared with the aviation industry. Elon Musk's billion-dollar investment in a turbine leasing firm and SpaceX's move into blade manufacturing signal that private capital is now racing to fill an infrastructure gap that traditional energy markets can't close fast enough.
- Data center gas consumption forecasts have jumped 117% to 15 billion cubic feet per day by 2035
- Grid power delays are pushing data center developers toward onsite gas turbines instead of utility connections
- Nuclear microreactors from firms like Ampera and Valar Atomics remain years from being commercially viable
Source: tomshardware.com — Jowi Morales, 2026-09-15
Published there as: “US AI data centers projected to become the fifth-largest natural gas consumer in the world by 2035 — consumption to grow by 15 billion cubic feet per day as demand for compute increases”
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