Energy Transition: Data Center Demand Drives Renewables, BloombergNEF Says

BloombergNEF’s (BNEF) New Energy Outlook 2025 presents an evolving scenario for the global energy transition, outlining how increasing electrification, technological development and the expansion of data centers will profoundly influence energy demand in the coming decades.

In a context of geopolitical turmoil and evolving policy choices, the study predicts unprecedented growth in renewable generation, driven by competitive technology solutions and new workloads such as those related to artificial intelligence.

Renewables growing strongly to meet new electricity demand

According to BNEF's Economic Transition Scenario (ETS) , global generation from renewables is set to increase by 84% by 2030 and double further by 2050, covering up to 67% of global electricity demand. This increase is driven by the strong growth in the use of digital technologies, particularly in data centers, and the electrification of transport. Emerging economies in Asia, the Middle East and Africa will play a key role in this transformation, both as demand basins and as strategic markets for infrastructure investment.

By 2050, global electricity demand is expected to increase by 75% , driven in part by the spread of electric vehicles, cooling systems, and new applications of artificial intelligence. Data centers, in particular, will account for nearly 9% of global electricity demand in 2050. In the United States alone, their share of the electricity grid could surpass that of electric vehicles by 2030. 362 GW of new generation capacity will be needed by 2035 to support this growth, making coherent and sustainable energy planning urgent.

Emissions, investments and scenarios compared: ETS vs. Net Zero

The ETS scenario envisages a 22% reduction in emissions by 2050 , returning them to 2005 levels. This outcome is consistent with a trajectory that would limit global warming to 2.6°C by 2100.

However, BNEF also proposes a comparison with the Net Zero (NZC) scenario , which assumes a more rapid transition to a net-zero emissions system by 2050. To achieve this goal, an even more accelerated deployment of clean technologies, including wind and solar power, electric mobility, hydrogen and nuclear, would be necessary.

While renewables and electric vehicles show promising growth , technologies such as carbon capture and storage, alternative fuels and hydrogen are struggling to gain traction in the short term.

Despite this, the investment potential remains very high: BNEF estimates that nearly $6 trillion will be needed by 2035 and over $10 trillion by 2050 to support the global energy transition.

In this context, energy security and reliability of supplies will become crucial factors in guiding industrial policy choices and private investments.