Europe's Data Centre Boom: Digital Progress at What Cost?
ARTE.tv Documentary
This ARTE Europe Weekly report looks at a question now being argued in towns across Europe: are data centres essential infrastructure for Europe's digital future, or do they cost too much in land, water, energy and local quality of life? The programme sets out the growing local opposition, then the case made by supporters and EU institutions, and ends by leaving the question open.
Small places, shared opposition
The report opens with a map of places most viewers will not know, among them Bideford, Langholm, Arcachon and others scattered around Europe. What they share, the presenter says, is growing opposition to new data centres. Opponents say these facilities take up land and use huge amounts of water and energy. At the same time, they are increasingly seen as essential.
The programme connects this to everyday digital habits. Every Instagram scroll, Tinder swipe or ChatGPT conversation runs on rows of servers where data is stored and processed. More of that activity requires more data centre capacity. The presenter calls consumer use "just skimming the surface," because demand from businesses, especially in digital services and AI, is described as "almost unimaginable."
According to the latest figures cited, the EU has 2,269 data centres, with Germany having the most. Supporters frame the build-out as a race Europe must join for its digital sovereignty. Opponents call the facilities energy guzzlers and polluters.
Electricity: national-scale consumption and city-level strain
To make the energy question concrete, the programme gives several figures:
- Global use: In 2025, data centres worldwide consumed 485 terawatt hours of electricity, which the report says is roughly Germany's total electricity consumption that year.
- European growth: The International Energy Agency projects that electricity use by data centres across Europe will rise by 70% between 2024 and 2030.
- Frankfurt: Data centres were already using around 30% of the city's total electricity by 2022.
- Dublin: Many digital companies have their European headquarters there, and data centres accounted for around 80% of the city's electricity use in 2023.
The report presents these as the practical result of having tens of thousands of servers running around the clock.
Water, e-waste, heat, fire and chemicals
Beyond electricity and land, the programme highlights water use for cooling. Its main example is Microsoft's Agriport A7 data centre in the Netherlands, which the report says used 84 million litres of water in 2021. It compares this to what a large city consumes in a year. It adds that this happened while the Netherlands was in a severe drought.
The report then turns to electronic waste. It cites a study in Nature Computational Science estimating that by 2030 there could be around a thousand times more e-waste than in 2023. The presenter contrasts this with the water problem: "While this vital resource is running dry, we are drowning in ever more electronic waste."
The programme lists several further criticisms:
- Heat islands: Recent research suggests data centres can warm their surroundings by about 2°C.
- Fire risk: Electrical faults, battery failures, cooling system malfunctions and human error are named as possible causes.
- PFAS: There are concerns about these "forever chemicals" in the cooling systems that keep components from overheating.
Looking ahead, the report points to hyperscale data centres, often very large construction projects. The presenter notes that local press and residents tend to call them "data centre monsters." The programme suggests this scale helps explain why people living near planned sites are protesting.
Protests from North Carolina to Brick Lane
The report shows demonstrations in North Carolina, where placards read "Water for humans, not for AI." It stresses that opposition is also growing in Europe.
In London, protesters are campaigning to "Save Brick Lane," one of the busiest streets in the East End. Developers plan to turn a disused site there into offices, homes, shops and a data centre linked to the London Stock Exchange. Opponents want the space used instead for social housing, which they say the area needs. In this case, the dispute is about competing uses of urban land as much as about energy or water.
The programme sums up the main concerns raised by opponents in many European countries: the monopolisation of space, water and electricity, plus large CO2 emissions. It says protests have intensified in the UK, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Finland.
Finland's tax petition and Dublin's moratorium
Two cases show how opposition is being turned into policy demands or regulation.
In Finland, a recent petition gathered tens of thousands of signatures calling on the government to tax data centre operators. As described in the report, the tax would:
- be calculated in proportion to the environmental damage the facilities cause;
- require operators to take the capacity of the Finnish electricity grid into account;
- require them to use the surplus heat they generate.
In Dublin, the electricity regulator imposed a moratorium on new data centres in the capital. The report says the facilities used so much energy that they risked causing power cuts across the city. A campaigner interviewed in the programme argues the problem is national: "At the moment, 22% of electricity in Ireland is going to data centers. That's more than all of urban homes in the country." The campaigner adds that this is far above the EU average.
The case for data centres, and the sovereignty question
The programme then presents the supporters' arguments. Backers say data centres power progress and are needed for digital sovereignty, because they allow data to be stored and processed in Europe rather than thousands of kilometres away under another jurisdiction. The industry also points to new well-paid careers, job creation, and the benefit for host countries of staying competitive globally.
Greece is presented as a fast-emerging hub. Its public power corporation recently signed a deal with Amazon Web Services for a major new facility in Western Macedonia.
This example leads the presenter to question the sovereignty argument. The report asks whether it is fair to talk about digital sovereignty when so many of these large facilities are run by companies based elsewhere, often in the United States.
Brussels: expansion with climate safeguards
The EU, the report explains, wants to boost investment in data centres and AI while also meeting climate and efficiency goals. That week, the European Commission had set out plans to rate data centres from A to G for energy efficiency, which the presenter compares to a home buyer's report.
A Commission voice in the programme describes developing AI and its data centres as a strategic priority, and an official states the aim to "mobilize a total of 200 billion euros for AI investment in Europe." According to the report, the EU plans to triple its data centre capacity over the next five to seven years and make new facilities easier to build. Brussels also wants European data centres to be carbon neutral by 2030 and has introduced safeguards such as reusing their excess heat.
Environmental campaigners, the report says, consider these safeguards insufficient. Data centre developers see it differently.
NIMBYs, or a reason to slow down?
Near the end, the programme quotes George Osborne, the UK's former Chancellor, who now has an executive role at OpenAI. Osborne recently said data centre development in the UK was being held back by NIMBYs ("not in my backyard").
The presenter suggests that wherever viewers are watching, there is probably a local data centre backlash nearby. That makes the question broader than any single project. The report closes by linking it to the wider debate over AI: is it time to put the brakes on rather than speed ahead at full throttle, or do nations need to stay ahead of the game to remain in it? The programme leaves that question unanswered.
You've maybe never heard of Fujairah, Bideford, Langholm, Arcachon, or many of these other dots scattered around Europe, but these villages and towns have something in common: growing opposition to new data centers. The concern: they take up land and consume huge amounts of water and energy, but they're increasingly seen as essential. Data centers powering progress: at what cost?
Whenever you do one of these things, this is what you don't see: row upon row of servers where our data is stored and processed. The more you scroll on Instagram, swipe left or right on Tinder, or converse with ChatGPT, the more data center capacity you need, and that's just skimming the surface. Because when it comes to businesses, notably in digital services and AI, the demand is almost unimaginable.
According to the latest available figures, there are 2,269 data centers across the EU, with Germany leading the pack. Supporters say we need to be in the race to guarantee our digital sovereignty. More on that later. But according to those opposing them, they're energy guzzlers and polluters. So, what exactly is their impact on electricity use and the environment?
In 2025, data centers around the world consumed 485 terawatt hours of electricity. That's roughly the same as Germany's total electricity consumption that year, and demand is surging. The International Energy Agency projects that electricity consumption from data centers across Europe is set to increase by a staggering 70% between 2024 and 2030.
That still sounds pretty abstract, but let's look at the ramifications of having tens of thousands of servers running 24/7. In Frankfurt, data centers were already consuming around 30% of the city's total electricity by 2022. And in Dublin, where many digital companies have their European headquarters, data centers accounted for around 80% of electricity consumption in 2023.
As well as occupying vast areas of land, large data centers also require enormous amounts of water to keep their servers cool. Take Microsoft's Agriport A7 data center in the Netherlands. In 2021, it used 84 million liters of water, which is roughly the amount a large city consumes in a year. To make matters worse, this came as the country was in the grip of a severe drought.
And water isn't the only problem. While this vital resource is running dry, we are drowning in ever more electronic waste. A study published in Nature Computational Science estimates that by 2030, there could be around a thousand times more e-waste than there was in 2023.
Beyond putting pressure on national grids, data centers also come under fire for heat, fire risk, and emissions. Recent research suggests that they can create heat islands, warming the surrounding area by some 2°. Electrical faults, battery failures, cooling system malfunctions, and human error are also potential fire risks. And when it comes to the cooling systems needed to stop components from overheating, there are also concerns about PFAS, forever chemicals.
And then, look at what's programmed for the near future.
Hyperscale data centers is the official term. Data center monsters is what local press and nearby residents tend to call them. These are often colossal construction projects. So, it's maybe not too hard to see why those living near planned builds are taking to the streets.
"Water for humans, not for AI," read the protest placards. Across the Atlantic, demonstrators have made themselves visible, like these ones in North Carolina. But there is also growing opposition here in Europe.
"Save Brick Lane." That's the message from these protesters. One of the busiest thoroughfares in London's East End, Brick Lane, developers plan to convert a disused site into offices, homes, and shops, and a data center linked to the London Stock Exchange. But opponents would rather the space were used to meet the area's need for social housing.
The monopolization of space, water, and electricity, not to mention massive CO2 emissions: these are the main concerns raised by opponents of data centers in many European countries. In the UK, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Finland, protests have intensified.
In Finland, a recent petition gathered tens of thousands of signatures. It calls on the government to levy a tax on data center operators. Not only would this be calculated in proportion to the environmental damage they cause, it would also require them to take the capacity of the Finnish electricity grid into account and utilize the surplus heat they generate.
In Dublin, the electricity regulator itself imposed a moratorium on new data centers in the Irish capital. These facilities use so much energy that they risked causing power cuts throughout the city. According to this campaigner, the same problem exists across the country.
At the moment, 22% of electricity in Ireland is going to data centers. That's more than all of urban homes in the country. It's head and shoulders above the EU average.
They may provoke protest, but don't data centers also power progress? It's what supporters of the hub say around the globe. They argue how they're needed for greater digital sovereignty by storing and processing our data here, and not thousands of kilometers away in another jurisdiction. The industry also often touts new lucrative career paths and job creation, as well as the benefits for host countries of remaining competitive globally.
Greece is rapidly becoming a hub for data center development in Europe. The country's Public Power Corporation recently signed a deal with Amazon Web Services for a major new hub in Western Macedonia. So, is it fair to talk about digital sovereignty when so many of these mega infrastructures are operated by companies based elsewhere, often stateside?
So, what does the EU have on its agenda and in the pipeline? Brussels wants to both bolster data center and AI investment, while also ticking climate efficiency goals. Just this week, the Commission has laid out plans for data centers to be ranked from A to G in terms of their energy efficiency, just like for a home buyer's report.
For the European Commission, the goal is clear. Developing AI and the data centers it relies on is a strategic priority.
We aim to mobilize a total of 200 billion euros for AI investment in Europe.
The EU plans to triple its data center capacity over the next 5 to 7 years and make it easier to build new facilities. But Brussels wants European data centers to be carbon neutral by 2030. So it has also introduced some safeguards, such as reusing the excess heat that they generate. But environmental campaigners say it's not enough.
But this contradicts the views held by data center developers.
So, a drive for progress, or is there a lot left hanging in the balance when it comes to the environment and energy? The UK's former Chancellor, George Osborne, now in an executive role with OpenAI, recently said data center development in the UK was being held back by NIMBYs: not in my backyard.
Wherever you're watching this, there'll be a story about a backlash on a data center project nearby. So perhaps the question is broader. Like the current debate around AI, is it time to put the brakes on rather than speed ahead full throttle? Or do nations need to stay ahead of the game to be in the game?
Until next time, salutations, ciao, adios, and bye for now.
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