Data-centre electricity demand
Growth in 2025, according to the IEA.
AI / ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTUREAI needs two networks.
AI needs two networks.
One moves energy.
The race to build compute is colliding with the slower physics of electricity infrastructure. Data centres can be delivered in years. New grids often take much longer.
See the infrastructure story
01 / DEMAND IS MOVING FASTCompute scales quickly.
Compute scales quickly.
Electricity systems do not.
The IEA reports that global data-centre electricity demand grew 17% in 2025 and is projected to roughly double by 2030. AI-focused data centres are growing faster still.
Projected 2030 demand
Global data-centre electricity consumption in the IEA's updated central outlook.
Capacity exposed to delay
Share of planned global data-centre capacity that grid constraints could delay through 2030.
02 / THE BOTTLENECKThe queue is becoming
The queue is becoming
part of the business model.
More than 2,500 GW of renewables, storage and large-load projects are currently stalled in grid connection queues worldwide. The IEA puts planning and delivery of new grid infrastructure at roughly 5–15 years, while new data centres can often be built in 1–3 years.
That timing mismatch changes the value of generation close to demand. On-site generation will not replace the grid, but every viable local source can reduce the amount of electricity that must arrive through constrained infrastructure.
03 / THE URBAN RESPONSEUse the surfaces
Use the surfaces
already attached to demand.
No new land
Façades and glazing are already part of the built environment, particularly in high-density cities where land is constrained.
On-site generation
Electricity is produced at or near the place it is used, complementing grid supply, rooftop PV, storage and contracted renewables.
More usable area
High-rise buildings can have far more vertical envelope area than roof area, creating a new design space for distributed generation.
Scale with buildings
The opportunity grows with the urban footprint: offices, campuses, logistics assets, data centres and mixed-use developments.
04 / SYDSOLSolar for the surfaces
Solar for the surfaces
the rooftop leaves behind.
Sydsol is developing semi-transparent antimony-chalcogenide photovoltaics for building façades, windows and other surfaces in the built world. The goal is simple: add generation without asking cities for more land.
The result is not a substitute for grid investment. It is another layer of energy infrastructure — distributed across the assets that create electricity demand.
Explore the technology