The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has confirmed that electricity consumption by data centre servers is expected to rise sharply in the coming decades, along with the rise of electricity consumption, which is expected to account for 22 per cent to 33 per cent of commercial buildings by 2050. In the Annual Energy Outlook 2026 (AEO2026), the EIA said electricity consumed by data centre servers will continuously increase across the commercial building sector, with the strongest growth projected in standalone data centres as compared to other combined data centre rooms. It stated, "Data centre server electricity use grows to 22 per cent-33 per cent of commercial building electricity use by 2050 across our cases". The report estimated that electricity consumption by servers alone could rise to between 446 billion kilowatt-hours (BkWh) and 818 billion BkWh by 2050 under various scenarios. The upper-end projection assumes a more rapid increase in server power demand and installed server capacity under the High Electricity Demand scenario.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/-no-cosmetic-is-permitted-to-be-used-as-injection-under-law-india-drug-regulator-cdsco-issues-strict-warning-1779367630477">'No cosmetic permitted as injection under law': India drug regulator CDSCO issues strict warning</a><h3>Electricity demand from AI infrastructure</h3>According to the outlook, standalone data centres, classified under the “other buildings” segment, could consume 581 BkWh of electricity from servers alone by 2050 in the High Electricity Demand scenario. The report noted that servers accounted for nearly 7 per cent of total commercial-sector electricity consumption in 2025, but the rapid expansion of servers, especially those supporting AI infrastructure, is expected to sharply increase energy demand in the years ahead. The US Energy Information Administration said commercial-sector electricity intensity, measured in kilowatt-hours used per square foot, is projected to surpass the previous record of 14.9 kWh per square foot set in 2003. The new peak is expected to occur between 2031 and 2032. The report linked the rise in commercial energy intensity primarily to data centre servers and the supporting cooling and ventilation systems needed to keep them operational. According to the agency, data centres require highly energy-intensive cooling mechanisms to ensure chips and IT equipment function efficiently. It is estimated that cooling requirements in data centre spaces can be up to 2.9 times more energy-intensive than those in typical commercial buildings.

The report estimated that electricity consumption by servers alone could rise to between 446 billion kilowatt-hours (BkWh) and 818 billion BkWh by 2050 under various scenarios. The upper-end projection assumes a more rapid increase in server power demand and installed server capacity.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has confirmed that electricity consumption by data centre servers is expected to rise sharply in the coming decades, along with the rise of electricity consumption, which is expected to account for 22 per cent to 33 per cent of commercial buildings by 2050. In the Annual Energy Outlook 2026 (AEO2026), the EIA said electricity consumed by data centre servers will continuously increase across the commercial building sector, with the strongest growth projected in standalone data centres as compared to other combined data centre rooms. It stated, "Data centre server electricity use grows to 22 per cent-33 per cent of commercial building electricity use by 2050 across our cases". The report estimated that electricity consumption by servers alone could rise to between 446 billion kilowatt-hours (BkWh) and 818 billion BkWh by 2050 under various scenarios. The upper-end projection assumes a more rapid increase in server power demand and installed server capacity under the High Electricity Demand scenario. Also read: 'No cosmetic permitted as injection under law': India drug regulator CDSCO issues strict warning Electricity demand from AI infrastructure According to the outlook, standalone data centres, classified under the “other buildings” segment, could consume 581 BkWh of electricity from servers alone by 2050 in the High Electricity Demand scenario. The report noted that servers accounted for nearly 7 per cent of total commercial-sector electricity consumption in 2025, but the rapid expansion of servers, especially those supporting AI infrastructure, is expected to sharply increase energy demand in the years ahead. The US Energy Information Administration said commercial-sector electricity intensity, measured in kilowatt-hours used per square foot, is projected to surpass the previous record of 14.9 kWh per square foot set in 2003. The new peak is expected to occur between 2031 and 2032. The report linked the rise in commercial energy intensity primarily to data centre servers and the supporting cooling and ventilation systems needed to keep them operational. According to the agency, data centres require highly energy-intensive cooling mechanisms to ensure chips and IT equipment function efficiently. It is estimated that cooling requirements in data centre spaces can be up to 2.9 times more energy-intensive than those in typical commercial buildings.

The report estimated that electricity consumption by servers alone could rise to between 446 billion kilowatt-hours (BkWh) and 818 billion BkWh by 2050 under various scenarios. The upper-end projection assumes a more rapid increase in server power demand and installed server capacity.

AI boom could make data centres consume one-third of commercial electricity by 2050: EIA

The Russian media hit out at a report that claimed the country presents a "geopolitical risk of threats to supply" of helium which is &nbsp;"finite resource".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-spies-hacked-ukrainian-energy-firm-at-center-of-trumps-impeachment-274153">Also Read:&nbsp;Russian spies hacked Ukrainian energy firm at center of Trump impeachment</a>

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/big-push-into-helium-could-have-the-world-on-russias-string-348830">New York Times </a>in its report said that that "Siberia holds some of the largest known untapped reserves of natural gas with high levels of helium, and Russia is preparing for a major leap in production when its new complex of factories comes online next year."

NYT said that Russia is "well-positioned to supply China and the technology industry on the US West Coast" and the Gazprom the Russian company is "will export canisters of cryogenically cooled liquid helium from the Pacific Ocean port of Vladivostok."

The report said after ramping up production by the middle of the decade "Russia expects to produce 25 per cent to 30 per cent of all helium used worldwide without breaking a sweat". <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-signs-offshore-pipeline-agreement-with-russian-energy-giant-gazprom-195970">Gazprom</a> said in September that its Siberian helium machine was more than 60% completed, the report said.

The report said US and Qatar at present generate vast amounts of world’s helium but Russia is already self-sufficient, however, the US has exited the business which the NYT report claims would allow Russia to become a major exporter from 2021.

The report claimed that the US holds 2.8 billion cubic feet of helium in an "abandoned gas field outside Amarillo, Texas".

"It has raised worries that Russia could bring to helium the same politically influenced trading practices that worry buyers of Russian natural gas and crude oil," the NYT report said.

There are several uses for liquid helium which is widely used in MRI machines also to propel space rockets including in welding and printing computer chips and is seen as a "critical resource".

The report also mentioned the controversial <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/proposed-us-sanctions-on-nord-stream-2-pipeline-is-unfair-competition-russia-347540">Nord Stream 2 </a>natural gas pipeline linking Russia to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/germany-threatens-to-put-nord-stream-2-project-on-hold-as-russia-fails-to-cooperate-in-navalny-probe-326080">Germany</a> which has been embargoed by the Trump administration with its "complicated mix of politics and economics influences the Kremlin’s decisions."

The Russian media hit out at a report that claimed the country presents a "geopolitical risk of threats to supply" of helium which is "finite resource". Also Read: Russian spies hacked Ukrainian energy firm at center of Trump impeachment The New York Times in its report said that that "Siberia holds some of the largest known untapped reserves of natural gas with high levels of helium, and Russia is preparing for a major leap in production when its new complex of factories comes online next year.

The Russian media hit out at a report that claimed the country presents a "geopolitical risk of threats to supply" of helium which is "finite resource". Also Read: Russian spies hacked Ukrainian energy firm at center of Trump impeachment The New York Times in its report said that that "Siberia holds some of the largest known untapped reserves of natural gas with high levels of helium, and Russia is preparing for a major leap in production when its new complex of factories comes online next year." NYT said that Russia is "well-positioned to supply China and the technology industry on the US West Coast" and the Gazprom the Russian company is "will export canisters of cryogenically cooled liquid helium from the Pacific Ocean port of Vladivostok." The report said after ramping up production by the middle of the decade "Russia expects to produce 25 per cent to 30 per cent of all helium used worldwide without breaking a sweat". Gazprom said in September that its Siberian helium machine was more than 60% completed, the report said. The report said US and Qatar at present generate vast amounts of world’s helium but Russia is already self-sufficient, however, the US has exited the business which the NYT report claims would allow Russia to become a major exporter from 2021. The report claimed that the US holds 2.8 billion cubic feet of helium in an "abandoned gas field outside Amarillo, Texas". "It has raised worries that Russia could bring to helium the same politically influenced trading practices that worry buyers of Russian natural gas and crude oil," the NYT report said. There are several uses for liquid helium which is widely used in MRI machines also to propel space rockets including in welding and printing computer chips and is seen as a "critical resource". The report also mentioned the controversial Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline linking Russia to Germany which has been embargoed by the Trump administration with its "complicated mix of politics and economics influences the Kremlin’s decisions."

Russia's push towards helium could present 'geopolitical risk of threats to supply': Report

&nbsp;Oil&nbsp;rose on Thursday after industry data showed a surprise drop in&nbsp;US&nbsp;crude&nbsp;inventories, while&nbsp;comments&nbsp;from an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../new-oil-field-adds-222-billion-barrels-with- current-technology-iran-261333">OPEC</a>&nbsp;official about lower-than-expected&nbsp;US&nbsp;shale&nbsp;production&nbsp;growth&nbsp;in 2020 also provided some support.

Prices, however, were capped by mixed signs for&nbsp;oil&nbsp;demand in China, the world's biggest&nbsp;crude&nbsp;importer, as industrial output rose more slowly than expected in October, but&nbsp;oil&nbsp;refinery throughput hit the second-highest level ever.

Brent futures rose 47 cents, or 0.8 per cent, to $62.84 per barrel by 0808 GMT, while&nbsp;US&nbsp;West Texas Intermediate&nbsp;crude&nbsp;gained 47 cents, or 0.8 per cent, to reach $57.59.

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Mohammad Barkindo said on Wednesday that there would likely be downward revisions of supply going into 2020, especially from United States&nbsp;shale, adding that some&nbsp;US&nbsp;shale&nbsp;oil&nbsp;firms see output growing by only 300,000-400,000 barrels per day (bpd).

While Barkindo's&nbsp;comments&nbsp;supported&nbsp;oil&nbsp;prices, there is not a clear way for&nbsp;OPEC&nbsp;to forecast&nbsp;oil&nbsp;production outside the group, Howie Lee, an economist at Singapore's OCBC bank said.

"I don't see much changes in supply so prices are still trading within the same range from the start of November," he said.

Barkindo's&nbsp;comments&nbsp;were also in contrast with forecasts by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../oil-prices-gain-after-us-inventories-fall-249041">US&nbsp;Energy Information Administration</a> (EIA) on Wednesday that&nbsp;US&nbsp;oil&nbsp;production is on course to hit new records this year and next.

The American Petroleum Institute reported on Wednesday an unexpected drop in&nbsp;crude&nbsp;stockpiles by 541,000 barrels in the week to November&nbsp;8, against analysts' expectations of an increase of 1.6 million barrels. Gasoline and distillates inventories increased, the API data showed.

Official weekly EIA data is due at 11:00 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) on Thursday. Both reports were delayed a day for the&nbsp;US&nbsp;Veterans Day holiday on Monday.

OPEC&nbsp;and its allies, including Russia, meet on Dec. 5-6 to discuss&nbsp;output policy and production curbs of 1.2 million bpd that have been in place since January with the aim of supporting&nbsp;crude&nbsp;prices. The pact runs&nbsp;to March 2020.

Barkindo said on Wednesday it was too early to say if further output cuts&nbsp;would be needed.

"They have made it quite clear that they are not reducing production further," said OCBC's Lee. "What Saudi can do now is to urge compliance among members especially Iraq and Nigeria. If they can comply, then they can talk about cuts."

Oil rose on Thursday after industry data showed a surprise drop in US crude inventories, while comments from an OPEC official about lower-than-expected US shale production growth in 2020 also provided some support.

Oil rose on Thursday after industry data showed a surprise drop in US crude inventories, while comments from an OPEC official about lower-than-expected US shale production growth in 2020 also provided some support. Prices, however, were capped by mixed signs for oil demand in China, the world's biggest crude importer, as industrial output rose more slowly than expected in October, but oil refinery throughput hit the second-highest level ever. Brent futures rose 47 cents, or 0.8 per cent, to $62.84 per barrel by 0808 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 47 cents, or 0.8 per cent, to reach $57.59. The Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Mohammad Barkindo said on Wednesday that there would likely be downward revisions of supply going into 2020, especially from United States shale, adding that some US shale oil firms see output growing by only 300,000-400,000 barrels per day (bpd). While Barkindo's comments supported oil prices, there is not a clear way for OPEC to forecast oil production outside the group, Howie Lee, an economist at Singapore's OCBC bank said. "I don't see much changes in supply so prices are still trading within the same range from the start of November," he said. Barkindo's comments were also in contrast with forecasts by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday that US oil production is on course to hit new records this year and next. The American Petroleum Institute reported on Wednesday an unexpected drop in crude stockpiles by 541,000 barrels in the week to November 8, against analysts' expectations of an increase of 1.6 million barrels. Gasoline and distillates inventories increased, the API data showed. Official weekly EIA data is due at 11:00 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) on Thursday. Both reports were delayed a day for the US Veterans Day holiday on Monday. OPEC and its allies, including Russia, meet on Dec. 5-6 to discuss output policy and production curbs of 1.2 million bpd that have been in place since January with the aim of supporting crude prices. The pact runs to March 2020. Barkindo said on Wednesday it was too early to say if further output cuts would be needed. "They have made it quite clear that they are not reducing production further," said OCBC's Lee. "What Saudi can do now is to urge compliance among members especially Iraq and Nigeria. If they can comply, then they can talk about cuts."

Oil gains on US crude stocks fall, OPEC comments on slower US shale growth