Exposing a dirty secret: What uses more power, Bitcoin, streaming, AI, or social media?
Bitcoin mining consumed around 171 TWh in 2025, representing 16% of total data center energy use.
All traditional data centers worldwide consumed between 448 and 1,050 TWh in 2025, with estimates varying across analysts' data. Gartner has it at 448 TWh, while Socomec and the IEA cite a range between 600 and 1050 TWh.
Gartner projections suggest this will reach 980 TWh by 2030, but IEA data also proposes we'll break the 1,000 TWh landmark this year (if we haven't already).
AI-focused facilities are officially estimated to have consumed between 82 and 536 TWh in 2025, accounting for 11-40% of all data center energy usage. The wide range is driven by the speed of AI deployment and the difficulty of tracking exact usage data.
Therefore, traditional data centers, including cloud computing, enterprise applications, streaming, and social media, certainly accounted for north of 388 TWh in 2025.
| 2025 metric | Range (TWh) | Average used (TWh) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All data centers (ex BTC) | 448–1,050 | 800 | Conservative working average for analysis |
| AI-focused data centers (derived from total) | 88–536 | 350 | Midpoint |
| Traditional / non-AI data centers (derived) | 388–712 | 450 | Total minus AI (800 − 350) |
| Bitcoin mining (electricity use) | 138–204 | 171 | Range spans Cambridge estimate (~138) to Digiconomist annualized estimate (~204) |
Gartner states,
“In 2025, AI-optimized servers are projected to represent 21% of total center power usage and 44% by 2030. In 2030, they will represent 64% of the incremental power demand for data centers.”
While Socomec states,
“Data centers will consume approximately 536 TWh of electricity in 2025, representing about 2% of global electricity consumption. This figure could double to 1,065 TWh by 2030 as AI computing power requirements continue to escalate”
For this analysis, we'll use an average of 1,000 TWh for all data centers in 2026, given the vast deployment of new infrastructure. However, this could underestimate AI usage by the same amount of energy as Bitcoin consumes in an entire year.
Still, given there is no official consensus on the exact energy use and split, I believe this is the fairest split.
| 2026 projection metric | Share of total | Implied electricity (TWh) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All data centers (ex BTCl) | 100% | 1,000 | Projected global data center electricity footprint |
| AI data centers | 40% | 400 | AI share projected at 40% of total |
| Traditional workloads | 60% | 600 | Remaining share of total |
| Bitcoin mining (context) | – | 150 | Comparison benchmark accounting for difficulty drop |
These estimates put Bitcoin far below AI, video streaming, and social media in terms of energy usage.
I wonder how many of the ‘Buttcoin' community will be offended by this fact while watching videos about how much of a scam Bitcoin is on YouTube or posting about it on Reddit?
Energy mix for Bitcoin and traditional data centers
The energy landscape for digital infrastructure shows Bitcoin operating at 52.4% sustainable energy (renewables plus nuclear) compared to the broader data center industry average of 42%, according to the Cambridge Digital Mining Industry Report 2025.
AI data centers are projected to consume 40% of total data center electricity in 2026, up from 14% in 2024. Traditional workloads account for the remaining 45% of the total 1,000 TWh global data center footprint, with Bitcoin making up the remainder.
Bitcoin miners face constraint scenarios in 2026 as AI companies bid up prices for firm power supply.
The network's difficulty reached 148.2 trillion at the end of 2025, then dipped slightly at the start of 2026 as hashrate fell due to Bitcoin's declining price.
Competition for low-cost electricity could push Bitcoin consumption to a minimum of 142 TWh by late 2026 if efficiency improvements offset hashrate growth. In constrained scenarios where AI infrastructure outbids mining operations, consumption could fall to 100–140 TWh by 2030.
Bitcoin's renewable energy mix now stands at 43%, with hydropower representing 23.12%, wind 13.98%, and solar 4.98% of the total energy profile, according to Cambridge Judge Business School.
Nuclear power contributes 9.8–10%, bringing total sustainable energy to 52.4%.
Natural gas has replaced coal as the primary fossil fuel source, accounting for 38.2% compared to coal's 8.9%, down from 36.6% in 2022.
The shift in fossil fuel composition represents a migration toward lower-emission sources. The overall sustainable energy percentage exceeds both the global grid average of 40% and the data center industry standard of 42%.
Bitcoin's per-user environmental impact, however, measures approximately 2,768 kg CO2e annually per user, based on 30 million global users. Though more users does not increase energy usage like social media does.
While this is 57 times higher than TikTok's 48.5 kg per user and 46 times higher than the average social media user's 60 kg footprint, it scales differently.
| Scenario | BTC users | Total footprint (Mt CO₂e/yr) | Per-user footprint (kg CO₂e/user/yr) | Comparison notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 30,000,000 | 83.04 | 2,768.00 | ≈57× TikTok (48.5 kg); ≈46× a 60 kg “avg social” benchmark |
| Social media equivalent energy per user | 1,384,000,000 | 83.04 | 60.00 | This is the BTC user count required if total footprint stays flat |
| TikTok-scale user count | 1,500,000,000 | 83.04 | 55.36 | At TikTok-scale, BTC per-user would be ~55 kg |
Data center growth in 2026
AI infrastructure investment reached $400–450 billion in 2026 capex globally, with over half allocated to processors including GPUs, TPUs, and custom ASICs, according to Deloitte Technology Predictions 2026.
The Stargate Initiative announced by OpenAI represents $500 billion in total investment, exceeding the Apollo space program's inflation-adjusted $280 billion.
Google allocated $75 billion to AI infrastructure in 2025, including the $4.75 billion acquisition of Intersect Power for data centers with co-located clean energy development.
Inference workloads now consume 66% of AI computing power in 2026, up from 33% in 2023, with training representing the remaining 33%.
This reversal reflects the deployment phase of AI models, where continuous query processing dominates energy consumption rather than one-time training events.
ChatGPT processed up to 200 million requests daily at 0.3 Wh per query for GPT-4o, totaling approximately 60 MWh daily. Earlier model versions consumed up to 2.9 Wh per query before optimization.
GPT-5 projections indicate 18.35 Wh per 1,000-token response, representing an 8.6-fold increase over GPT-4o's per-query consumption.
If processing 2.5 billion requests daily, GPT-5 could consume up to 45 GWh daily, equivalent to the electricity needs of 1.5 million U.S. households, according to analysis from Windows Central and PatentPC.
Traditional data centers, which include social media platforms, streaming services, cloud computing, enterprise applications, SaaS, e-commerce, and financial services, are projected to consume 400 TWh in 2026.
Available data does not isolate social media and streaming consumption from broader traditional data center categories. These platforms are estimated to represent 15–30% of traditional workloads.
| Category | Sustainable Energy Mix | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|
| AI Data Centers | 42% | ~40% annually |
| Traditional Data Centers | 42% | ~9% annually |
| Bitcoin Mining | 52.4% | Constrained by competition |
| Total Data Centers | 42% average | 2.5x from 2024 |
Meta reported a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.09 for its data centers in 2025, representing industry-leading efficiency compared to the enterprise average of 1.5–1.6.
The company avoided 16.4 million metric tons of CO2e since 2021 through efficiency improvements and renewable energy procurement.
TikTok's parent company ByteDance reported approximately 50 million tons of CO2e in total company emissions annually. Per-user emissions were calculated at 48.49 kg CO2e based on third-party analysis of usage patterns.
Streaming energy usage
Netflix consumed 451,000 MWh annually as of 2019 data, enough to power 37,000 homes.
Streaming energy breakdown shows viewing devices accounting for 72% of emissions, data transmission 23%, and data centers 5%. Per-hour streaming energy measured 0.077 kWh in 2019, though efficiency improvements of approximately 20% annually since 2010 suggest current consumption is lower.
The International Energy Agency stated:
“Contrary to a slew of recent misleading media coverage, the climate impacts of streaming video remain relatively modest, particularly compared to other activities and sectors.”
The Shift Project's 2019 claim that one hour of Netflix streaming consumed 6.1 kWh was corrected in 2020 to approximately 0.8 kWh.
This represented a seven-to-eightfold overstatement that continued circulating despite the correction.
Current estimates from the Carbon Trust place streaming emissions at approximately 55g CO2e per hour on European grids. The IEA's 2020 analysis calculated 36g CO2e per hour, with variance reflecting different grid carbon intensities and efficiency improvements over time.
Bitcoin benefits the energy grid unlike streaming or social media
Bitcoin mining facilities can curtail demand within seconds, enabling participation in demand response programs and consumption of otherwise-curtailed renewable energy.
Flexible loads like Bitcoin mining could add 76 GW to grid capacity, approximately 10% of peak demand, based on Duke University modeling, according to CPower Energy.
Texas ERCOT integrated Bitcoin miners as flexible load following 2021 blackouts, avoiding an estimated $18 billion in gas peaker plant construction.
AI and traditional data centers require continuous, reliable power for service delivery, limiting their ability to provide grid balancing services.
Data center occupancy rates reached 85% in 2023 and are projected to exceed 95% by late 2026, leaving minimal flexibility for demand response.
Water consumption projections for U.S. AI servers range from 731 to 1,125 million cubic meters annually by 2030, according to MIT News.
Bitcoin's air-cooled ASIC systems consume minimal water compared to liquid-cooled data center infrastructure.
ASIC technology evolution shows top-tier 2026 models achieving 9.5–12 joules per terahash (J/TH), compared to legacy 2020–2023 models operating at 25–30+ J/TH.
The Antminer U3S23H delivers 1,160 TH/s at 9.5 J/TH, while the S21 XP Hydro achieves 473 TH/s at 12 J/TH.
These efficiency improvements of 50–70% are enabled by transitions from 7nm to 5nm and 3nm chip architectures. Total network consumption remains stable or grows due to Jevons Paradox, where efficiency gains enable more mining activity at lower costs.
The pattern repeats across all three sectors.
AI inference efficiency improved tenfold from early GPT-4 estimates to GPT-4o, yet total AI consumption is projected to increase sevenfold from 60 TWh in 2024 to 420 TWh in 2026.
Streaming data center energy intensity has decreased 20% annually since 2010, yet total streaming hours and absolute consumption continue rising.
Efficiency improvements reduce cost per unit, enabling more consumption that often exceeds efficiency savings.
Goldman Sachs projects 60% of increased data center electricity demand through 2030 will be met by fossil fuels, adding approximately 220 million tons of CO2 to global emissions.
Natural gas serves as “bridge fuel” during the 2026–2028 transition period while renewable and nuclear projects remain under construction.
Tech giants including Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google have contracted over 50 GW of renewable capacity, equivalent to Sweden's total generation capacity. Delivery lags by two to five years due to development timelines.
Microsoft's $10 billion Brookfield renewable energy deal will deliver 10.5 GW of capacity beginning in 2026, equivalent to the output of 10 nuclear power plants.
Google's NextEra partnership will restart Iowa's Duane Arnold nuclear plant in 2027. Meta partnered with Oklo to develop small modular nuclear reactors for data center power in Pike County.
Meta's Louisiana data center represents a $10 billion investment with 1,500+ MW of new renewable energy scheduled for grid connection.
Critical power capacity for data centers globally measured 55 GW in 2023 and is projected to reach 82–96 GW by 2026, representing a near-doubling of infrastructure in three years.
Regional distribution shows the U.S. and China accounting for approximately 80% of global data center electricity growth through 2030. The United States is projected to add 240 TWh, up 130% from 2024, and China will add 175 TWh, up 170% from 2024.
Ireland currently allocates 21% of national electricity to data centers, with projections reaching 32% by 2026 if current growth continues.
Grid connection timelines of two to five years in many regions, combined with transformer and substation supply chain bottlenecks, constrain expansion rates.
Local utility capacity approaches limits in several markets, while cooling water availability presents challenges in drought-prone areas including Arizona, Nevada, and Texas.
Energy use across crypto
Ethereum's transition to proof-of-stake on September 15, 2022, reduced energy consumption by 99.988%, from 23 TWh annually to 0.0026 TWh.
The network now processes more transactions than Bitcoin while consuming 0.0015% of Bitcoin's energy, according to Ethereum.org.
Carbon emissions decreased 99.992%, from 11,016,000 tonnes to 870 tonnes CO2e annually, demonstrating that blockchain technology does not inherently require high energy consumption.
Bitcoin's proof-of-work security model represents a design choice rather than a technological limitation.
The Bitcoin community maintains that proof-of-work provides superior security guarantees through energy expenditure, while proof-of-stake achieves security through economic incentives and staked capital.
Both models offer valid approaches with different trade-offs between energy consumption and security mechanisms.
Total global data center consumption of 1,000 TWh in 2026 represents 3.5% of projected global electricity consumption of 29,000 TWh.
Bitcoin's 150-171 TWh equals 0.6% of global electricity, comparable to Poland's annual consumption and similar to global aviation's 180–200 TWh.
The data center sector grew from 460 TWh in 2022 to a projected 1,000 TWh in 2026, representing a 2.5x increase driven primarily by AI infrastructure expansion.
By 2030, projections of total data center consumption range from 1,000 to 1,900 TWh in the US alone.
Conservative scenarios assuming continued 20% annual efficiency improvements could reduce total consumption to 200 – 400 TWh. Aggressive cases with accelerated AI adoption and increased model complexity could exceed 2,500 TWh worldwide.
Bitcoin consumption scenarios for 2030 range from 100–140 TWh under constraint scenarios where AI outbids miners for low-cost electricity, to 150–200 TWh in baseline scenarios with moderate growth.
If Bitcoin price increases enable mining at higher electricity costs, consumption could reach 200–300 TWh.
The Lightning Network's off-chain transaction capability could enable 100–1000x transaction throughput with minimal energy increase. Network consumption serves primarily to maintain security rather than process individual transactions.
The renewable energy integration timeline shows corporate commitments outpacing delivery
Renewable power generation is projected to grow 22% annually to 2030, targeting 40–45% of data center electricity demand growth. This falls short of meeting total new demand.
The long-term vision for 2030 and beyond includes solar and wind providing 40–50% of supply, battery storage enabling 10–20% through renewable firming, nuclear delivering 20–30% baseload, and natural gas reduced to 10–20% for backup and peaking.
Bitcoin's ability to consume curtailed renewable energy provides immediate grid benefits that new-build renewable projects cannot deliver during their two-to-five-year construction timelines.
Mining facilities can prevent up to 40% of renewable energy waste by consuming power during low-demand periods. This enables renewable projects in locations without transmission infrastructure.
This “buyer of first resort” role makes projects financially viable during grid build-out phases, particularly for hydroelectric installations in Siberia and Iceland, geothermal in Iceland and El Salvador, and solar in Texas.
The distinction between interruptible and continuous power demand affects grid management and renewable integration capacity.
Bitcoin's flexible load characteristics enable higher renewable penetration on grids by absorbing surplus generation and curtailing during peak demand periods.
Data centers requiring continuous operation necessitate fossil fuel backup capacity or baseload nuclear power. Battery storage technology cannot yet economically support multi-day backup for facilities consuming hundreds of megawatts.
Data centers will eat more energy than Bitcoin ever will
Data center power distribution shows servers and compute equipment consuming 40–60% of facility electricity demand.
Cooling systems use 7–40%, with hyperscale facilities achieving 7% and less-efficient enterprise data centers reaching 30%+. Storage systems account for approximately 5%, networking equipment 5%, and power distribution plus other systems 5–10%.
Hyperscale operators including Google, Meta, and Amazon achieve PUE ratios closer to 1.1, while enterprise average approaches 1.5–1.6.
Why does Bitcoin get all the hate?
The attention-consumption disparity shows Bitcoin receiving approximately three to four times more critical media coverage per TWh consumed compared to traditional data centers.
AI receives approximately twice the per-TWh coverage intensity.
Near-term emissions trajectories will worsen before improving as demand growth outpaces renewable deployment through 2028.
Natural gas will power the majority of new data center capacity during this transition period, with renewable and nuclear projects scheduled to come online between 2027–2030.
The temporal mismatch between climate urgency requiring immediate action and infrastructure reality requiring five-to-ten-year transition periods creates a gap that fossil fuel generation currently fills.
Bitcoin isn’t “free” from environmental trade-offs. It’s an always-on security system that converts electricity into hardness: the cost of making history expensive to rewrite. That’s a design choice—and it deserves scrutiny.
But scrutiny should be proportional to reality.
By the numbers, Bitcoin sits well below the electricity appetite of the modern internet’s real growth engine: data centers, and increasingly AI.
Those facilities are expanding beyond a 1,000 TWh footprint on an uncertain mix of gas, renewables, and nuclear, because reliability matters more than ideals when you’re serving billions of real-time requests.
If the criticism is “we should be careful with power,” then the spotlight can’t stop at mining while AI inference, streaming, and social platforms quietly scale into the same grids.
And Bitcoin is not just another “always on” load. Miners can curtail in seconds, show up as demand response, and buy energy that would otherwise be wasted, helping finance renewables in places the grid can’t fully absorb yet. That doesn’t erase emissions, but it changes the comparison.
A flexible load that can turn off is not the same thing as a continuous service that can’t.
The fairest way to talk about Bitcoin’s energy is the same way we should talk about every digital system: total consumption, energy mix, flexibility, and what society gets in return.
If we apply that standard consistently, the conclusion is uncomfortable for Bitcoin’s loudest critics: the network isn’t the outlier, it’s the easiest target.
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