Onsite Generation Expected to Fully Power 27% of Data Center Facilities by 2030
- Bloom Energy's Mid-Year Power Report reveals boom in onsite power to fuel AI amid grid constraints
- Data center developers' estimate of up to 2 years for grid power access is unrealistic in key markets
- Access to power is the leading factor in data center site selection, key to gaining a competitive advantage
Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE), a global leader in power solutions, released a critical mid-year update to the comprehensive 2025 Data Center Power Report launched earlier this year, which revealed that data centers are adopting onsite power as a primary energy source. Data centers are likely to continue to struggle with the timely availability of electricity, according to the new report, which carries major implications for the future of the AI industry.
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Figure 1: In key data center markets, there is likely to be a 1-2 year gap in expected grid power between utilities and data center developers
Today's mid-year update shows that securing electricity for data centers is likely to take much longer than anticipated, and that power availability is now the leading factor in site selection. The report offers a timely lens into what matters most to the leaders shaping the future of the AI industry in America, including:
- Data center developers are underestimating time to power: Utility providers report significantly longer timelines to deliver power in key U.S. markets, up to 2 years longer than what hyperscalers and colocation providers expect.
- Power access is a leading factor in data center site selection: 84% of respondents ranked availability of power among their top three considerations.
- Onsite power is increasingly critical: In 2030, 38% of facilities are expected to use some onsite generation for primary power, up from 13% a year ago. Notably, 27% of facilities expect to be fully powered by onsite generation by 2030, a 27x increase from just 1% last year.
- AI is driving larger, more power-intensive data centers: The median data center size is expected to grow by nearly 115%, from approximately 175 MW today to about 375 MW over the next 10 years.
- Reducing carbon emissions is a lower but lasting priority: 95% of those surveyed affirmed that sustainability and carbon reduction targets are still in place, even if the path to achieving those goals may not be linear.
"Decisions around where data centers get built have shifted dramatically over the last six months, with access to power now playing the most significant role in location scouting," said Aman Joshi, Bloom Energy's Chief Commercial Officer. "The grid can't keep pace with AI demands, so the industry is taking control with onsite power generation. When you control your power, you control your timeline, and immediate access to energy is what separates viable projects from stalled ones."
According to the survey, operators are looking beyond legacy power generation to solutions that offer fast deployment timelines, low emissions, and the ability to handle intense and fluctuating AI workloads, all while meeting the industry's uncompromising reliability standards and cost requirements.
The latest report is based on data collected from April 2024 to April 2025, which surveyed approximately 100 decision-makers across the entire data center power ecosystem, reflecting perspectives from hyperscalers, colocation developers, utilities, and GPU service providers. A copy of the mid-year Bloom Energy Data Center Power report is available here.
About Bloom Energy
Bloom Energy empowers enterprises to meet soaring energy demands and responsibly take charge of their power needs. The company's fuel cell system provides ultra-resilient, highly scalable onsite electricity generation for Fortune 500 companies around the world, including data centers, semiconductor manufacturing, large utilities and other commercial and industrial sectors. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Bloom Energy has deployed 1.5GW of low-carbon power across more than 1200 installations globally. For more information, visit www.BloomEnergy.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "will" and "would" or the negative of these words or similar terms or expressions that concern Bloom's expectations, strategy, priorities, plans, or intentions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, expectations regarding the growth of onsite power generation and the role of power availability and accessibility in data center growth and location choice. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results due to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties detailed in Bloom's SEC filings. More information on potential risks and uncertainties that may impact Bloom's business are set forth in Bloom's periodic reports filed with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2025, as well as subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC. Bloom assumes no obligation to, and does not intend to, update any such forward-looking statements.
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