MOSCOW, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies, and data processing centers are reshaping the global energy landscape, said Igor Sechin, CEO of Russian oil giant Rosneft, warning that energy consumption from these digital innovations could soon rival that of an entire nation.

Within less than a decade, cryptocurrencies have evolved into an independent industry that consumes resources equivalent to those of national economies, he said, adding that by 2030, their electricity consumption is projected to more than double to 1,000 terawatt-hour, which is comparable to Japan's current electricity consumption.

Russia adopted a cryptocurrency mining law last year. Under its provisions, Russian legal entities, individual entrepreneurs and citizens are entitled to engage in mining.

Legal entities and individual entrepreneurs must be included in the Federal Tax Service register for this purpose. Meanwhile, citizens can engage in digital currency mining without being included in the register as long as they do not exceed the energy consumption limits set by the government.

Besides cryptocurrency, Sechin further elaborated that an AI-driven digital revolution and big data would boost labor productivity, yet they demand substantial energy input, as well as large-scale investment in infrastructure and human resources.

In his view, the global energy industry is facing a profound transformation and the energy consumption model is changing.

Citing data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), Sechin said AI-equipped data processing centers are extremely energy-intensive. For example, one 100-megawatt data center can use as much power as 100,000 households.

With these demands likely to increase dozens of times, he predicted that in the future, such data processing centers will have a more significant impact on global electricity demand than heavy industry or heating.

Over the past 15 years, electricity consumption has grown at a faster pace. According to IEA projections, global electricity generation is set to nearly double over the next 25 years.

At the same time, countries in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to drive the largest share of this growth, accounting for 60 percent of the increase in global electricity consumption.

The global energy industry is undergoing a major transformation, driven by the rapid surge in electricity consumption, which will increasingly be met by a mix of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, said the head of Rosneft.

"Tech leaders are infiltrating the oil and gas industry. Moreover, these investments are being made at an unprecedented speed and on a global scale," Sechin added. ■