Skip to content

Data desk

AI statistics

Charts we keep next to the copy. Ranges, not slogans. Each block links to the full article.

Global data-center electricity (IEA, TWh)

Unit: TWh

2024
415
2026e
545
2030e
945
2035e
1200

IEA Energy and AI, base case. 2024 is an estimate (~1.5% of world electricity). 2030 is ~Japan’s current power use.

AI-tagged roles, US job boards (thousands)

Unit: k

2022
180
2023
310
2024
420
2025
510
2026
590

Postings, not unique people. Displacement is a different series.

YoY growth in role titles

Unit: %

Eval / red team
94
AI PM
71
Inference eng.
66
Data platform
48
Prompt / ops
41
General SWE
12

Growth rate, not headcount. SWE is still the larger pile.

US machine-learning engineer total comp (Levels.fyi, USD k)

Unit: k$

25th
196
Median
279
75th
378
90th
495

Levels.fyi, Machine Learning Engineer, United States, updated 26 Aug 2026. Self-reported offers; heavy on large-tech and late-stage startups. Not a census of every ML job.

China data-center electricity (IEA, TWh)

Unit: TWh

2024 ~25% of world
104
2030e
279

IEA: China was ~25% of 415 TWh in 2024 (~104 TWh). Consumption rises ~175 TWh (~+170%) by 2030. US + China are ~80% of world DC growth to 2030.

What vendors and analysts are printing for 2026 PCs

Unit: %

OEM list hikes (IDC)
18
ASP, moderate
5
ASP, pessimistic
7
Copilot+ RAM floor vs 8GB
100

IDC: Lenovo, Dell, HP, Acer, ASUS have flagged ~15–20% hikes. ASP +4–6% moderate / +6–8% pessimistic if the memory shortage lasts. Copilot+ requires 16 GB vs the old 8 GB floor.

Flagship GPU street price index (2022=100)

Unit: index

2022
100
2023
164
2024
148
2025
132
2026
121

Shortage moved up the stack: power, not just silicon.