Europe's data centers may drive digital sovereignty
Massive data centers needed to run AI are triggering protests across Europe. Their operators counter that they boost digital sovereignty and energy independence.
In Europe, the debate over data centers and digital sovereignty is intensifying. Governments and companies prefer storing data within the continent's borders, rather than relying on U.S. servers. However, this increased digital sovereignty comes with a significant cost: higher consumption of the region's resources.
Data centers require substantial amounts of electricity and water for cooling, with an average of 0.4 to 4.4 liters of water used per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed. As Europe experiences record-breaking heat and water restrictions, concerns are mounting about the future water and electricity needs of these facilities.
Fingrid, Finland's national grid operator, predicts that electricity consumption could rise by nearly 40% if all signed data center projects are completed. To improve transparency, the European Commission has introduced a new scheme for data centers to disclose their energy and water usage. Larger centers will receive an efficiency grade based on their contribution to the grid and waste heat reuse.
Europe's major cities like Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin have traditionally hosted the largest data centers due to their superior connectivity and established ecosystems. However, as power and grid constraints loom, new facilities are sprouting up in less densely populated areas, such as Groningen in the Netherlands and Brussels in Belgium.
This shift is generating protests both online and offline. In Austria, hundreds gathered in front of Google's offices in Linz to protest the company's plans to construct a data center near the town of Kronstorf. Similarly, in France, elected officials in Etrechet resigned due to the massive data center project that would demand significant electrical output.
Some data center operators argue that facilities can be designed to save energy, like a Marseille project employing a cooling system that uses 30% less power and requires no water. In Scandinavia, waste heat from servers is being routed into district heating networks. A recent survey by German energy company E.ON revealed that a majority of people would support data centers near residential areas if they contributed to waste heat reuse.
Proponents of increased European data centers argue that they can bolster digital sovereignty and enhance energy independence.
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