US data centers could consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035

The rapid expansion of AI workloads could make U.S. data centers one of the largest drivers of natural gas demand growth by 2035, with implications for power costs, grid reliability, and emissions at a scale that materially affects enterprise operating expenses and sustainability commitments. For CIOs and technology leaders, this signals that data center strategy can no longer be treated as a pure infrastructure decision; it now requires tighter coordination across energy procurement, site selection, utility partnerships, on-site generation, and ESG risk management to ensure capacity is available without exposing the business to higher costs or regulatory pressure.