What is it about?
This paper presents the first global long-run analysis (1975–2022) that jointly estimates electricity consumption, information processing, and energy efficiency in computing devices, including desktops, laptops, datacenters, smartphones, and supercomputers. The study reconstructs global trends showing that electricity use, processed information, and efficiency increased by 4, 11, and 7 orders of magnitude, respectively, while tracking how changes in device types and computing infrastructure shaped these trends.
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Why is it important?
Despite the rapid growth of computing and information processing, the study finds that the share of computing devices in global electricity use peaked at about 2.5% in 2013 and stabilized around 1.8% since 2018. This stabilization occurred because large improvements in efficiency and shifts toward smartphones and large datacenters offset the increase in information processing. These results suggest that concerns about rapidly increasing electricity demand from computing may be overstated.
Perspectives
This paper is part of the project World Primary-Final-Useful (WPFU) Energy and Exergy Database from 1800 to 2020 The WPFU project develops a long-run global database of primary, final and useful energy and exergy flows across sectors and technologies. The database reconstructs energy conversion chains over the last two centuries in order to analyse technological transitions, efficiency improvements, and the evolution of energy services. By combining historical energy data with societal exergy analysis, the project enables researchers to study the relationships between energy use, efficiency, economic development, and long-term energy transitions. Related papers: Pinto, R., Brockway, P.E., Domingos, T., Sousa, T, 2026. Long run electricity consumption in computing: exponential growth followed by stabilisation due to efficiency gains. iScience, 114876 Tostes, B., Henriques, S., Heun, M. K., T., Brockway, P. B. and Sousa, T, 2025. Global Transport Emissions 1850–2020: Historical Drivers and Lessons for Transport Decarbonization. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 148, 104998. Tostes, B., Heun, M. K., Henriques, S. T., Brockway, P. B. and Sousa, T, 2025. Insights from the evolution of transport technologies, 1800-2020: Energy use, transitions, and efficiency. Applied Energy, 401, Part A, 126561. Tostes, B., Henriques, S. T., Brockway, P. E., Heun, M. K., Domingos, T., Sousa, T, 2024. On the right track? Energy use, carbon emissions, and intensities of world rail transportation, 1840–2020, Applied Energy, 367, 123344. Pinto, R., Henriques, S.T., Brockway, P.E., Heun, M. K., Sousa, T, 2023. The rise and stall of world electricity efficiency: 1900–2017, results and insights for the renewables transition. Energy, 269, 126775. Steenwyk, P., Heun, M. K., Brockway, P.E., Sousa, T, Henriques, S.T, 2022. The Contributions of muscle and machine work to land and labor productivity in world agriculture since 1800. Biophysical Economics and Sustainability, 7: 2.
Assistant Professor Tânia A. Sousa
Instituto Superior Técnico
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This page is a summary of: Long-run electricity consumption in computing: Exponential growth followed by stabilization due to efficiency gains, iScience, March 2026, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114876.
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