Data centers across Oregon consume nearly 25% of the state's total electrical output, according to a new state analysis.

If you're not sure how you feel about the AI data center debate yet, seeing news like this may just convince you that those anti-data center folks have a point.

Researchers in Oregon have released a new report detailing the size of the data center industry in the state, uncovering just how much energy data centers consume. According to the report, there are 111 operational data centers in Oregon, occupying 22.1 million square feet of building space and accounting for 23 percent of the state's entire retail energy sales in 2025.

An additional 32 data centers are under construction or in the planning stages, which will occupy 6.9 million square feet of space.

Researchers behind the report project that data center electricity consumption in Oregon will rise to nearly 25 terawatt hours by 2030—around 31 to 32 percent of all electricity demand in the state and equivalent to the energy consumption of 2.5 million homes.

"Data center electricity demand is increasing substantially, and regional as well as state-level planning efforts indicate that accommodating large-load growth will require new electricity resources, transmission capacity, and coordinated infrastructure planning," the report states.

The data centers directly employ 2,630 workers.

The report was released Thursday by ECOnorthwest and the University of Virginia, funded by the Lemelson Foundation, an entrepreneurship and environmental nonprofit based in Portland.