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Poor Grid Planning Threatens Europe’s Data Centre Hubs, Ember Report Warns

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Europe’s top data centre locations, including Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin, risk losing their dominance unless governments improve long-term grid planning, according to a new report released Thursday by energy think-tank Ember.

The surge in demand for data centres, driven by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its energy-intensive computing needs, is shifting investment priorities. Developers are increasingly choosing locations with faster and easier access to electricity, rather than remaining loyal to traditional hubs plagued by long grid connection delays.

The report warns that by 2035, up to 50% of Europe’s data centre capacity could relocate outside the current main hubs. This could divert billions of euros in economic activity to emerging markets, with significant implications for GDP and job creation. For example, data centres in Germany generated €10.4 billion in GDP in 2024 — a figure expected to more than double by 2029. Losing momentum in such a high-growth sector could harm economic prospects in these countries.

While France is likely to retain investment due to a relatively unconstrained grid, others could suffer delays of up to 13 years in connecting new data centres. The average wait time in the legacy hubs is 7–10 years, compared to only 3 years in Italy and even less in some emerging regions.

“Grids are ultimately deciding where investments go,” said Elisabeth Cremona, Senior Energy Analyst at Ember. “If Europe wants to maintain its competitiveness and achieve economic growth, it must prioritise grid development.”

She emphasized that the issue extends beyond data centres to all sectors undergoing electrification. Without updated grid infrastructure, industries could struggle to scale or relocate entirely to regions with faster energy access.

Electricity demand from data centres is projected to triple in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark by 2030, and increase three- to fivefold in Austria, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, and Slovakia by 2035.

The findings highlight an urgent need for European policymakers to treat grid planning as a strategic investment tool, not just a utility service, in order to retain tech-sector leadership and support industrial transformation.

UN Report: AI Boom Drives 150% Surge in Tech Giants’ Indirect Emissions

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A new United Nations report revealed on Thursday that indirect carbon emissions from the operations of four major AI-driven tech giants—Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta—rose by an average of 150% between 2020 and 2023. The sharp increase is largely driven by the vast energy demands of data centers powering artificial intelligence systems.

The report, published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the U.N.’s digital technologies agency, analyzed the greenhouse gas emissions of 200 leading digital companies over the three-year period. Indirect emissions include those generated from purchased electricity, heating, cooling, and steam consumed by a company’s operations.

Among the companies surveyed, Amazon posted the largest rise, with operational carbon emissions soaring 182% over the period. Microsoft followed with a 155% increase, while Meta and Alphabet saw rises of 145% and 138%, respectively.

The growing reliance on AI has led to surging energy demands, with electricity consumption from data centers growing four times faster than overall global electricity usage, according to the ITU. The report projects that carbon emissions from top-emitting AI systems could eventually reach 102.6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, further straining existing energy infrastructures.

In response, several companies highlighted their ongoing sustainability efforts. Meta referred Reuters to its sustainability report, stating that it is taking steps to reduce emissions, energy use, and water consumption in its data centers. Amazon emphasized its investments in carbon-free energy projects, including both nuclear and renewable sources. Microsoft pointed to its recent progress in improving energy efficiency, including transitioning to chip-level liquid cooling technologies that consume less energy than traditional cooling systems.

However, the ITU noted that while more digital companies are setting ambitious emissions targets, many of these commitments have yet to translate into meaningful reductions in actual emissions. The report underscores the growing challenge of balancing AI’s rapid expansion with environmental sustainability.

Chevron Advances Plans to Develop U.S. Data Centers with Power Generation

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Chevron is moving forward with plans to develop data centers in the U.S., entering the permitting and engineering phases for multiple sites, according to a company executive. These centers will also feature the generation of electricity, primarily powered by natural gas, to meet the growing demand from data centers across the country. The energy consumption of these facilities, which are large warehouses for servers, is expected to triple in the next three years as the need for artificial intelligence and computing power intensifies.

The Big Tech industry has already begun securing power purchase agreements to meet their massive electricity demands, with some companies buying power directly from nuclear plants or signing deals with utilities to add power generation to the grid. This surge in data center demand is shaking up the U.S. power industry, with record peak demand and a rise in natural gas consumption.

Chevron, alongside ExxonMobil, announced plans last year to start power generation specifically for data centers, marking a departure from their usual focus on supplying energy for their own operations. Daniel Droog, Chevron’s Vice President of Power Solutions, stated at the CERAWeek conference in Houston that there is “high customer interest” in this new venture.

With data centers growing larger—some now requiring 50 times more power than traditional facilities—Chevron is targeting the development of power plants and data center sites with capacities around 1 gigawatt (GW), expected to be operational by 2027 or 2028. Droog emphasized that speed, reliability, and scale are central to their strategy.

The company has not revealed specific customers or the exact locations of these future data centers but indicated that southern, western, and midwestern regions are likely targets. These centers will be primarily powered by natural gas, with some sites potentially incorporating carbon capture or renewable energy sources.

Natural gas, which was previously avoided by Big Tech due to climate concerns, has now become a favored option due to its relatively low cost and availability in the U.S., the world’s largest gas producer. The company is also set to receive seven GE Vernova gas turbines by 2026, to aid in the power generation process.