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The short answer: on the latest estimates, Bitcoin mining used about twice what AI servers did (138 TWh in Cambridge's July 2026 estimate against about 62 TWh for AI servers in 2024, the IEA's latest year), but all data centers together used about three times Bitcoin (415 TWh in 2024). The years differ, so read these as orders of magnitude. On the IEA's growth rate, AI servers reach roughly 300 TWh by 2030, about twice Bitcoin's July 2026 level.
Educational only, not financial advice. Every figure carries its source, listed at the end. The 300 TWh is our own estimate from sourced inputs, and the steps are shown below. The snapshot table and the chart are refreshed about every six hours.
Latest market snapshot
| Latest snapshot | Bitcoin | Nvidia (NVDA) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $85,639 per coin | $239.24 per share |
| 30-day return | +6.6% | +3.9% |
| 1-year return | -31.4% | +28.9% |
| 5-year return | +39.7% | +835.7% |
| Volatility (1 year, annualized) | 45.1% | 37.6% |
| Distance from highest close on record | -31.4% | +0.0% |
| $10,000 invested five years ago | $13,966 | $93,574 |
A snapshot, not a live quote: Yahoo Finance daily prices, each asset's latest bar dated (UTC) Bitcoin 6 Oct 2026, Nvidia (NVDA) 6 Oct 2026. Refreshed about every six hours and last computed on 6 Oct 2026 at 20:25 UTC. Each price is the latest daily bar and each return runs to it. Price changes only, in US dollars, without dividends or fees. Futures are continuous front-month contracts, so a contract roll can show as a small step. Volatility is the standard deviation of daily moves over the past year, annualized. The highest close is from monthly history, not the intraday record. Nvidia (NVDA): Nvidia stock, a proxy for AI compute: it is a company, not a measure of AI electricity use. Not financial advice.
This is market performance of Bitcoin and of Nvidia, a proxy for AI compute. It shows how the two assets have traded, not how much electricity either uses.
The numbers
| Metric | AI and data centers | Bitcoin mining |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity use | All data centers: 415 TWh (2024). AI servers: 15% of that, about 62 TWh | 138.2 TWh best estimate (29 Jul 2026), range 74 to 242 TWh |
| Share of world electricity | Data centers 1.5% (2024), AI servers about 0.2% | About 0.5% |
| Growth | Data centers +12% a year over the last five years; accelerated (AI) servers expected +30% a year to 2030 | Moves with the Bitcoin price and the number of machines mining, no steady trend |
| 2030 outlook | Data centers about 945 TWh (about 3% of world electricity); AI servers about 300 TWh (our estimate) | No agreed forecast; held at 138 TWh in the chart |
| United States | Data centers 176 TWh in 2023 (4.4% of US electricity); 325 to 580 TWh by 2028 (6.7% to 12%) | Not compared here: no single sourced US figure |
| What the electricity buys | AI training and answers, plus all other cloud services | Securing the Bitcoin network through proof of work |
| Size of the uncertainty | Share of AI servers is an IEA estimate | More than a threefold range (74 to 242 TWh) |
Sources and dates are listed at the end. Bitcoin mining cannot be metered directly, so its figure is a model; the data center figures are also estimates. The share of world electricity is calculated from the IEA's 415 TWh being 1.5%, which implies about 27,700 TWh for the world.
Latest estimates and 2030
How we get about 300 TWh for AI servers in 2030. Start with the IEA's 2024 figure: 15% of 415 TWh is about 62 TWh. The IEA expects electricity use in accelerated servers to grow about 30% a year. Six years of 30% growth multiplies by about 4.8, which gives about 300 TWh. The IEA also says accelerated servers account for almost half of the net increase in data center demand to 2030, which gives a similar number. It is an estimate, and growth could be slower or faster.
$10,000 invested five years ago
$10,000 invested five years ago would be worth: Bitcoin: $13,966; Nvidia (NVDA): $93,574. Price changes only, without dividends or fees.
Prices only, without dividends or fees. Nvidia is a company, not a measure of AI, and Bitcoin's price is not its electricity use. The chart shows how two assets linked to these stories have traded.
What the numbers tell us
- On the latest estimates Bitcoin used about twice what AI servers did. 138 TWh (July 2026) against about 62 TWh (2024), so the years differ, and Bitcoin's range is wide.
- "AI" and "data centers" are not the same number. All data centers use about three times Bitcoin, but most of that is ordinary cloud, video and storage, not AI.
- The order may flip by 2030. At about 300 TWh, AI servers would use roughly twice Bitcoin's July 2026 estimate, if the IEA's 30% growth holds.
- Both are small next to the world. About 0.5% of world electricity for Bitcoin (2026 estimate) and about 0.2% for AI servers (2024), against 1.5% for all data centers (2024) rising to about 3% by 2030.
- The uncertainty is not equal. Bitcoin's own range is more than threefold, so "who uses more" depends on which estimate and which month you pick.
Bottom line
On the latest estimates, Bitcoin mining used about twice the electricity of AI servers (July 2026 against 2024), and all data centers used about three times as much as Bitcoin (2024 against July 2026). The trend runs the other way: Bitcoin's use follows its price and hardware, while AI servers are growing about 30% a year on the IEA's figures, which would put them near 300 TWh by 2030. Both stay small shares of the world's electricity, and both estimates carry real uncertainty. The useful habit is to compare like with like: AI servers against Bitcoin, or all data centers against all of Bitcoin, in the same year. The snapshot table shows how the markets have treated Nvidia and Bitcoin, which is history, not a forecast.
For the metals side of the same story, see How AI Drives Metal Demand and Copper vs Uranium.
Common questions
Does AI use more electricity than Bitcoin?
On the latest estimates, no, if you count only AI servers. The IEA puts all data centers at 415 terawatt-hours in 2024, of which servers for AI were about 15%, roughly 62 terawatt-hours. Cambridge's best estimate for Bitcoin mining was 138 terawatt-hours on 29 July 2026. All data centers together, which also run email, video and cloud services, used about three times as much as Bitcoin on those figures. The years differ, so treat the comparison as an order of magnitude.
How much electricity does Bitcoin use?
The Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index gave a best estimate of 138.2 terawatt-hours a year on 29 July 2026, with a theoretical range of about 74 to 242. That is roughly half a percent of the world's electricity. The figure moves with the Bitcoin price and the number of machines mining, so it changes over time.
How much electricity do data centers use?
The IEA estimates 415 terawatt-hours in 2024, about 1.5% of global electricity, and expects roughly 945 terawatt-hours by 2030, about double. In the United States, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated 176 terawatt-hours in 2023, 4.4% of US electricity, rising to 325 to 580 terawatt-hours by 2028, or 6.7% to 12%.
Will AI use more power than Bitcoin by 2030?
On the IEA's trend, very likely. AI servers were about 62 terawatt-hours in 2024 and the IEA expects electricity use in accelerated servers to grow about 30% a year. Compounding that for six years gives roughly 300 terawatt-hours by 2030, about twice Bitcoin's July 2026 estimate. This is our estimate from the IEA's growth rate, not a published forecast, and Bitcoin's own use could change.
What share of world electricity do AI and Bitcoin use?
Data centers as a whole used about 1.5% of the world's electricity in 2024 and are expected to reach about 3% by 2030. AI servers were roughly 0.2% in 2024 on the same numbers. Bitcoin mining is about half a percent.
Why do Bitcoin electricity estimates differ so much?
Nobody can meter every miner, so estimates are modeled from the network's hashrate and the likely mix of mining hardware. Cambridge's own range runs from about 74 to 242 terawatt-hours, more than a threefold spread, and other trackers use different assumptions. The figure also moves with the Bitcoin price, because lower prices push less efficient machines offline.
Sources
Structural figures last checked on 5 October 2026.
- Data center electricity use (415 TWh in 2024, 945 TWh in 2030, +12% a year), AI server share (15% in 2024) and growth (30% a year, almost half of the net rise): IEA, Energy and AI, Energy demand from AI and the executive summary.
- Bitcoin electricity use (138.2 TWh on 29 July 2026, range about 74 to 242 TWh): Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, as reported by SolCard. The live index changes with price and hashrate.
- United States data centers (176 TWh in 2023, 4.4%; 325 to 580 TWh by 2028, 6.7% to 12%): Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report (19 December 2024).
- Prices, returns, volatility and the chart: computed from Yahoo Finance daily prices (a snapshot refreshed about every six hours), as noted under the snapshot table. Nvidia is a proxy for AI compute.
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