Wood Mackenzie: China's Data Center Power Consumption to Exceed South Korea's Current Level by 2030
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Wood Mackenzie forecasts China's data center power consumption will hit 774 TWh by 2030 — roughly four times today's level and more than South Korea's entire national electricity use; AI-driven demand is shifting from a marginal grid load to a structural force reshaping power investment and site-selection logic.
How big is 774 TWh?
Wood Mackenzie projects China's data centers will consume 774 TWh per year by 2030, roughly four times the current level.
This means → data centers alone would account for about 6% of China's total projected electricity use — exceeding South Korea's entire national consumption today.
In plain terms = one industry's power draw surpassing a developed nation's total — this is no longer a marginal load but a demand category the grid must plan around.
What does the 2060 outlook look like?
The report projects that share could rise from 6% to 17% by 2060.
This means → data centers would evolve from a supporting player into a structural anchor of the power system, creating decades-long pressure on grid expansion and generation investment.
In plain terms = a major slice of future grid buildout and power-source investment will be dictated directly by AI compute demand.
What is the "compute follows power" logic?
Wood Mackenzie notes China's AI expansion is shifting data center siting from clustering in major cities and tech hubs toward a "compute follows power" model.
China's western regions are sparsely populated with growing renewable capacity, enabling data centers to tap low-cost, low-carbon electricity nearby.
This means → the core siting variable is flipping from "close to users" to "close to cheap clean power" — energy cost and carbon intensity are redrawing the geographic map of data centers.
How does this connect to global trends?
Wood Mackenzie analyst Wanting Zhao stated in the report: "Access to reliable, cost-competitive, and low-carbon power will play an increasingly important role in determining where and how new data center capacity is built."
The trend mirrors the U.S., where rapid data center expansion has turned power and water consumption into a political issue that now shapes Wall Street's rating logic for related stocks.
This reflects a shared global challenge: whether China can meet surging compute demand while decarbonizing its power supply will be a key test over the coming years.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.