From Minerals to Megawatts 2025
Page 10 of 39 · WEF_From_Minerals_to_Megawatts_2025.pdf
Data centre component breakdown by mineral (kgs per MW) FIGURE 4
Total minerals and metals mass per MW: ~60-75 metric tons
Value chain contribution to global demand of minerals and metals (2035)
Ga
6.0%Ge
2.4%Sn
1.2%Cu
0.9%Au
0.6%Co
0.5%Ag
0.4%Ni
0.3%AI
0.3%Li
0.1%Si
0.1%C
0.1%REEs
0.1%Fe
0.1%Backup power
~20-30% of minerals and metals used in
data centres
Generators, UPS (li-ion/lead-acid)
Aluminium ~1,200
Cobalt ~40
Copper ~2,200
Gold <0.1
Graphite ~290
Iron ~14,000
Lead ~240
Lithium ~30
Nickel ~220
REEs ~0.2
Silicon ~10
Silver ~0.5
Tin ~2Servers and chips (compute
~12-16% of minerals and metals used in
data centres
CPUs, GPUs, memory, local storage
Aluminium ~2,700
Cobalt ~2
Copper ~2,000
Germanium ~0.3
Gallium ~2
Gold ~1
Graphite ~5
Iron ~5,100
Lead ~15
Nickel ~35
REEs ~2
Silicon ~160
Silver ~5
Tin ~120Electrical systems
~15-20% of minerals and metals used in
data centres
Switchgear, PDUs,1 cabling
Aluminium ~460
Copper ~3,500
Germanium ~0.1
Gold ~0.2
Iron ~9,900
Nickel ~70
REEs ~0.4
Silcon ~5
Silver ~1
Tin ~5Cooling systems
~35-45% of minerals and metals used in
data centres
CRAH/C,2 CDUs,3 chillers, cooling tower
Aluminium ~6,700
Copper ~3,600
Gold <0.1
Graphite ~15
Iron ~18,000
Lead ~10
Nickel ~130
REEs <0.1
Silicon ~15
Silver <0.1
Tin ~0.1Networking and storage
~1-3% of minerals and metals used
in data centres
Network hardware and facility-level storage
Aluminium ~260
Cobalt ~1
Copper ~280
Germanium ~0.1
Gallium ~0.3
Gold <0.1
Graphite ~1
Iron ~660
Nickel ~15
REEs ~1
Silicon ~20
Silver ~0.5
Tin ~10
High (>50%) Moderate (10-50%) Low (1-10%) Negligible (<1%)
Notes: Based on a 2024 split of conventional (CPU or central processing unit-driven) data centres at 76% capacity vs. accelerated (GPU or graphics processing
unit-driven) data centres at 24% capacity. 1 Power distribution unit. 2 Computer room air handler/conditioner. 3 Cooling distribution unit.
Source: Bank of America Securities, IEA and Kearney analysis
From Minerals to Megawatts: Building Resilience for EVs, Data Centres and Power Grids
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