EU proposes energy consumption rating for data centres
Data centres in Europe will be rated on energy and water consumption under an EU proposal put forward today to pre-empt possible public discontent as the bloc pushes to boost its computing capacity.
The European Union has proposed a new energy consumption rating system for data centres in a bid to address potential public concerns as the bloc aims to increase its data centre capacity. The EU is keen to triple its data centre capacity over the next seven years to keep up with the US and China in the field of artificial intelligence.
However, this growth could put strain on energy grids, water supplies, and energy bills, according to European Commission vice president for clean transition Teresa Ribera. The proposed rating system will provide public information on the water and energy consumption of data centres with a capacity above 500 kW, which already report key performance metrics to the EU.
The rating will be based on a coloured scale, with A/Green representing the most efficient and G/Red the least efficient, similar to the system used for home appliances. The rating will also consider the data centre's contribution to the grid, such as waste heat reuse and clean energy generation capacities, to encourage good practices.
The EU aims to address the growing energy demand of data centres as part of its energy transition, with the first labels expected to be generated and accessible on an EU database by 2027.
Brief written by urgent.news from RTE News's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
