A sample from this collection
A few sources to start with.
Industry explainer (plain language)
Data Center Coalition (Center of Your Digital World site) · undated · Web page
Defines a data center in everyday terms and explains that anything done in the cloud runs in one. A section titled Inside a data center lists the IT equipment (routers, switches, firewalls, storage systems, servers) and the supporting systems (power subsystems, uninterruptible power supplies, ventilation, cooling, fire suppression, backup generators and network connections). It also asserts community benefits. The footer states the site is powered by the Data Center Coalition, the industry's trade association.
- “Data centers are buildings that house the internet.” (What is a data center?)
- “uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)” (Lists and "backup generators" among supporting systems (Inside a data center)
Who should read it:
Residents and new officials who need a two-minute introduction to the physical components of a data center.
Limitations:
Written by the industry trade association as advocacy. The benefits section is promotional and gives no sourcing; it omits impacts such as noise, water use and grid costs.
Cite as:
Data Center Coalition (Center of Your Digital World site). “About Data Centers.” undated. https://www.centerofyourdigitalworld.org/about-centers
Standards body / national lab framework
ASHRAE with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and NEMA · undated · Web framework
Created by PNNL, ASHRAE and NEMA after an industry survey, the framework covers planning and siting, integrated design, energy and thermal efficiency, grid-interactive design (demand flexibility), resilient design, commissioning, operations and maintenance, and retrofit. It states it covers energy sourcing, energy use and water use. The Site Planning page lists impacts and recommended practices, including early engagement with utilities, regulators and local stakeholders, and notes environmental factors such as water availability, noise and visual impacts. The framework states it does not set mandatory requirements or supersede codes.
- “provides opportunities to lessen impacts on communities surrounding data center developments” (overview)
- “What this framework does not do is establish mandatory requirements” (overview)
Who should read it:
Planners and economic development staff preparing siting criteria or pre-application questions for large AI data centers.
Limitations:
Voluntary guidance written with industry partners; The Tools page notes many industry tools are proprietary. No publication date shown.
Cite as:
ASHRAE with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and NEMA. “PNNL/ASHRAE/NEMA AI Data Center Energy Performance Framework.” undated. https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/ai-data-center-framework
National laboratory news summary
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory News Center · January 15, 2025 (adapted from a Dec. 20, 2024 Department of Energy news release) · News article
Summarizes the 2024 Report on U.S. Data Center Energy Use, which covers 2014 to 2028. It reports that data center load growth tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple by 2028, gives the share of total U.S. electricity used by data centers in 2023 and the projected range for 2028, and notes that power demand more than doubled from 2017 to 2023, largely due to AI servers. It quotes lead researcher Arman Shehabi on how much the industry has changed since 2016.
- “consumed about 4.4% of total U.S. electricity in 2023” (Data centers)
- “expected to consume between 6.7 and 12% of total U.S. electricity by 2028”
- “climbed from 58 TWh in 2014 to 176 TWh in 2023”
Who should read it:
Elected officials and communications staff who need the headline national numbers in plain language.
Limitations:
Summary of a larger report; national figures only.
Cite as:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory News Center. “Berkeley Lab Report Evaluates Increase in Electricity Demand from Data Centers.” January 15, 2025. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2025/01/15/berkeley-lab-report-evaluates-increase-in-electricity-demand-from-data-centers/
