AI’s Power Demand Becomes an Economic Constraint

Northern Trust’s economists outline how accelerating adoption of AI is colliding with hard limits in global electricity systems, reshaping growth prospects and policy choices. 

• Data centers are set to drive roughly a fifth of the increase in global electricity demand through 2030, with generation bottlenecks, supply-chain constraints and grid fragility pushing costs higher for households and industry alike.

• Rising U.S. utility bills reflect a structural mismatch: rapid AI-related demand meets aging infrastructure and uneven investment in new capacity.

• Nations with cheap, reliable power—such as parts of the Nordics and China—are positioned to scale AI faster, while developing economies face acute fiscal and grid limitations.

For a deeper sense of how energy scarcity may shape the next phase of AI-driven growth, the full commentary provides the broader economic frame.