Backlash over data centers tests Europe's AI ambitions

Like coal-fired power plants and wind turbines, few people actually want a data center in their backyard. But they do want to use their services. As a global debate rages about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, there are also many local discussions about where exactly the data centers needed to train and run AI should be built.

This is currently a major issue in Europe, where many governments and companies have decided that they would prefer to store data in Europe rather than in the United States, which is the global leader in computing. But more digital sovereignty in Europe will mean more consumption of the continent's resources.

According to the German Ministry for Economic Affairs, for every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed, an average of between 0.4 and 4.4 liters (0.8 and 9.3 pints) of water is used to cool data centers , with the water either evaporating or being diverted back to tanks in a warmed state.

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The summer that just ended was the hottest on record in Europe — in some areas, water use was restricted for residents, agriculture and even nuclear power plants. The summers are expected to get warmer, so many are wondering about the potential water consumption of data centers in the future.

They are also worried about the high electricity consumption of the centers. Fingrid, Finland's national grid operator, recently forecast that electricity consumption would rise by almost 40% if all projects with signed connection agreements were implemented in full.

This week, the European Commission announced a new scheme for data centers to increase transparency on their energy and water use. Those with a capacity of more than 500 kW will receive an efficiency grade that will also take into account their contribution to the grid, such as the reuse of waste heat. "Tripling our data center capacity cannot mean tripling the pressure on our grids, our water and our energy bills," said  Teresa Ribera, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition.

Europe's most powerful data centers have primarily been built near the major cities of Frankfurt, London , Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin (FLAP-D) because of high connectivity, proximity to users and businesses, and well-established ecosystems with specialized engineers and secure supply chains.