The US is seeing a huge spike in gas-fired power plants built specifically to feed data centers, thanks to the ongoing AI boom. According to fresh numbers from Global Energy Monitor (GEM), cited by WIRED, the planned capacity for these plants is set to top 189 GW by mid-2026—up from just 97 GW projected by the end of 2025.

Massive Growth in Just Two and a Half Years

Back at the start of 2024, the total was barely over 4 GW. Since then, the pipeline of projects has exploded by more than 40x. In just the past six months, the figure has nearly doubled. GEM’s stats include announced projects, plants in pre-construction, and facilities already under construction—all intended to power data centers directly.

What’s Driving the Surge?

The main reason for this rapid buildout? The breakneck expansion of artificial intelligence and the heavy compute loads that come with it. Data centers running AI services are massive energy hogs, which is pushing energy companies to roll out even more gas-fired plants to keep up.

Project Breakdown

GEM’s report notes that the numbers cover not just operational and under-construction plants, but also those that have only been announced or are in the planning phase. Experts point out that not all of this capacity will necessarily get built, but the scale of what’s on the drawing board is still staggering.