Backlash over data centers tests Europe's AI ambitions
Massive data centers needed to run AI are triggering protests across Europe. Their operators counter that they boost digital sovereignty and energy independence.
A global debate on artificial intelligence's potential dangers has sparked local discussions about data center locations in Europe. Many governments and companies prefer storing data within Europe rather than in the United States, which leads to increased consumption of the continent's resources. For every kilowatt-hour of electricity used by a data center, 0.4 to 4.4 liters of water is consumed for cooling purposes, with water either evaporating or being stored in warmed tanks.
The recent heatwave in Europe has heightened concerns about water and electricity consumption in data centers. The European Commission has introduced a new scheme to increase transparency on energy and water use for data centers with a capacity greater than 500 kW. As data centers expand, protests against their construction have increased both online and offline.
In Austria, Google received a protest against its plans to build a data center in Linz, while French officials resigned in protest of a proposed Google data center in Etrechet that would require the power of a nuclear plant. Some data center operators argue that energy-efficient cooling systems and waste heat utilization can mitigate the environmental impact.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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