The EU will force data centers to disclose how much water and energy they are using
New European rules could mean that even more data centers need to report how much energy and water they're using.
The European Commission has unveiled a plan to require data centers to disclose their energy and water consumption metrics. Starting from sites consuming at least 500 kilowatts of power, the new Data Center Energy Efficiency Package aims to boost transparency through an EU-wide rating system akin to those used for household appliances.
In addition to total energy and water use, the revised guidelines will include Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE), renewable energy share, waste heat repurposing, and other relevant data.
Commissioner Teresa Ribera emphasized the importance of this initiative in the context of the EU's growing local compute capacity, which aims to reduce dependency on international data centers. The rating scheme will undergo a two-month review period before being implemented, with the first ratings expected to be released this year. By the end of 2028, the Commission plans to evaluate the impact of these new regulations on data center sustainability.
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