As Europe races to build the digital backbone of its artificial intelligence economy, a new energy dilemma is emerging: the infrastructure powering AI could strain the very system the EU is trying to decarbonise using AI.
Data centres – the vast server facilities that store, process and transmit digital information – are multiplying across the European Union as companies invest heavily in AI development and cloud computing. But these facilities are also among the most energy-intensive pieces of infrastructure in the modern economy, requiring large volumes of electricity and significant grid capacity.
“People want AI, but they don’t want to pay higher energy bills for it,” said Nicolás González Casares, a Spanish member of the European Parliament, at a recent Euractiv event in Brussels. “We must ensure that data centres are efficient, flexible and well-integrated into the European energy system. But we are facing some risks.”
The challenge for Europe is clear: how to…
