The International Energy Agency just published a figure worth reading twice: by 2030, data centres will account for roughly 3% of global electricity consumption — as much as all of Japan combined. To sustain that growth, the world will mobilise close to two trillion dollars in digital infrastructure before the decade is out. In 2026 alone, Big Tech’s spending on this race could reach $700 billion, up from $400 billion in 2025.
This isn’t an abstract, far-off statistic. Spain has become one of the epicentres of this boom: the country has attracted over €34 billion in data centre investment in just six months, with a project pipeline nearing €90 billion. Every new facility announced raises the same underlying question — the one that actually matters to us as engineers: where will all that energy come from, and how do we manage it without the planet footing the bill?