# Trends in Data Center Efficiency

[![trajectory map [Converted].png](https://hydraulogistics.at/uploads/images/gallery/2025-09/scaled-1680-/trajectory-map-converted.png)](https://hydraulogistics.at/uploads/images/gallery/2025-09/scaled-1680-/trajectory-map-converted.png)

<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Recent years have witnessed a shift in the U.S. data center size, with the top panel showing how the percentage of servers housed in </span>[<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">hyperscale </span>](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-hyperscale-data-cent)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and large </span>[colocation](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-colocation-center)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> centers has grown steadily since 2014, while small/medium colocation facilities have remained relatively stable.</span>

<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The middle panel illustrates the corresponding annual average </span>[PUE](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-pue)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. As </span>[hyperscale](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-hyperscale-data-cent)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> and colocation sites expanded, </span>[<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">PUE </span>](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-pue)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">declined from 1.6 in 2014 to just above 1.4 by 2023. This indicates that facilities are using less overhead energy per unit of IT load, which is more efficient. The shaded trajectory area suggests future projections, with </span>[<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">hyperscale </span>](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-hyperscale-data-cent)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">operators pushing </span>[PUE](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-pue)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> closer to 1.2 or lower in coming years.</span>

<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The bottom panel highlights the annual average </span>[WUE](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-wue)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. While energy efficiency has improved, </span>[WUE](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-wue)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> has gradually risen from 0.36 L/kWh in 2014 to 0.38 L/kWh in 2023. This reflects the trade-off: </span>[<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">hyperscale </span>](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-hyperscale-data-cent)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and colocation sites often rely on evaporative cooling methods (cooling towers, adiabatic systems) that use water more intensively. In effect, operators are substituting water resources to reduce electricity demand, achieving lower </span>[PUE](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-pue)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> but at the expense of higher water consumption. </span>

<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As the share of </span>[<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">hyperscale </span>](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-hyperscale-data-cent)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and large colocation data centers increases, </span>[PUE](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-pue)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> improves while </span>[WUE](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-wue)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> worsens. This indicates a clear inverse correlation: efficiency gains in electricity use are being achieved at the cost of higher water consumption. Looking ahead, the dotted trajectory line indicates that this trend is expected to continue. </span>[<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hyperscale </span>](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-hyperscale-data-cent)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">dominance will likely push </span>[PUE](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-pue)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> further down, but </span>[WUE](https://hydraulogistics.at/link/16#bkmrk-wue)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> will increase.</span>