The United States continues to lead in data center infrastructure thanks to significant investments from tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon. These companies have poured billions into expanding their digital capabilities, particularly in artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
A recent analysis by Visual Capitalist, using data from Cloudscene and Statista, reveals that there were approximately 11,800 data centers worldwide in 2024, with the United States accounting for nearly half of them. The U.S. dominates this market with a 45.6% share of the global total.
According to the report, released this January, Germany follows second with 521 data centers and the United Kingdom third with 514. Other notable hosts of data centers – in descending order – are China, Canada, France, Australia, the Netherlands, Russia and Japan.
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While the U.S. remains the undisputed leader, other countries are making significant strides in bolstering their digital infrastructure. The coming years will be critical for nations like China, which face geopolitical and technological barriers, as they strive to compete in this evolving sector.
Restrictions hurt China
China, the world’s largest economy, ranks fourth on the list with 449 data centers. Its growth in this sector faces significant hurdles due to the ongoing trade conflict with the U.S. The latter has imposed restrictions on the export of advanced semiconductor chips, including those made by Nvidia, forcing China to develop its own domestic alternatives.
While designing semiconductors is one aspect, producing them at a competitive scale requires advanced manufacturing capabilities - something China currently lacks, the analysis says. The country’s leading firms have yet to reach the technological level necessary to produce cutting-edge chips.
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Furthermore, essential semiconductor manufacturing equipment, supplied exclusively by Dutch company ASML, is also subject to export restrictions.
However, this rapid growth comes at a cost: increased energy consumption. A single AI-generated query, such as a request on ChatGPT, consumes up to ten times more electricity than a standard Google search.
The report points to data centers as the main driver of electricity consumption worldwide. In the United States, electricity demand will rise from 3% of total usage in 2022 to an estimated 8% by 2030.
The global data center industry continues to expand thanks to a growing demand for cloud services, AI, and big data.
The top 25 countries with the largest number of data centers (via Visual Capitalist):
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