A new report by BloombergNEF states that data centers being built to run AI could consume about 18 billion cubic feet per day, nearly double the organization’s previous prediction nine months ago.

The projection includes 2.9 billion to 3.4 billion cubic feet of gas per day for new natural gas plants built to power data centers directly, bypassing the power grid. It also includes an additional 15 billion cubic feet per day of gas consumption needed by the power sector for grid-connected data centers, according to TechCrunch’s coverage of the report.

The combined roughly 18 billion cubic feet per day is more than the natural gas demand of Japan and Germany combined, the outlet reported.