Artificial intelligence is set to give the global data center market a major boost, according to Jefferies, and usher in a "new era of electricity demand." "As GPUs [graphics processing units] have become a larger part of the data center ecosystem and drive AI investments, demand for power and data center space has grown at a feverish pace," the investment bank's analysts wrote in a June 18 note. They noted that demand for data center space has increased between 10% and 20% each year for most of the past 15 years. As the data center market grows, so will demand for electricity, Jefferies said, naming a slew of beneficiaries in these segments and beyond. Among the "pure-play data center" names it likes are Digital Realty Trust and Equinix .

---

Persons: Jefferies, Stocks, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Digital Realty Trust Locations: U.S, Europe, Freeport, McMoRan