Wood Mackenzie: AI data center buildout is a power-grid project, lifting aluminum and copper demand 3–4x

A Wood Mackenzie report says the AI-driven data center boom should be viewed as a major power infrastructure buildout, with total aluminum and copper needs reaching three to four times the volume of the data center itself due to grid upgrades, transmission lines, substations and onsite generation. The report also flags a supply shock after a Middle East conflict halted output at a UAE aluminum plant, cutting Gulf aluminum production by 2 million tons in March and April 2024. It forecasts annual aluminum demand of 600,000 to 900,000 metric tons, with copper demand rising in parallel.