cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11497601
Archived link (removepayall.com)
The European Union’s regulatory arm has proposed rules that would force data center operators to disclose their energy and water use through a common rating system. The European Commission says this will cover data centers with a capacity above 500 kW.
The bloc wants to triple its data center capacity within the next seven years in a bid to bolster its digital sovereignty, which includes reducing its dependence on US tech companies. It acknowledges that increasing the number of data centers in the region could strain power grids and natural resources like water while increasing carbon emissions.
The Commission cited stats from the International Energy Agency indicating that data centers consumed 68 TWh of electricity in the EU in 2024. Due in large part to the race to build out compute power for artificial intelligence, that figure is expected to increase to 114 TWh by 2030, which would account for over three percent of the bloc’s total electricity use.
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The EU aims to enhance Europe’s cloud computing and AI capabilities, and “the better integration of the energy and digital systems in the Union”, according to a directive (opens pdf).
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The Commission has opened a two-month consultation period for the European Parliament and Council to scrutinize (and potentially object to) the rules before they come into force. If all goes to plan, data centers are expected to start publishing the sustainability labels next year.
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While you’re at it, force them to report where they’re getting their electricity from. Publicly shame all datacenters that use fossil fuels.
Spain is forcing datacenters to source 80% of their hourly energy consumption from renewables.
There is a way.
Sadly most politicians are dragging their feet due to the excessive weight of bribe money in their pockets.
The grid is interconnected, there is no clear source of the energy they are using…
Kinda sorta true. Readiness, you can still choose to buy renewable energy, which sends the right kind of signal to energy producers operating in the grid.
Unless they build their own or finance the extra capacity in the grid. In both cases they could invest in fossil fuels or renewables.
However building a power plant, even a small one, comes with a lot of bureaucratic hurdles in most of Europe. Its not a “build it and they will come” situation like in the US
That’s the bare minimum, and I doubt the relevant EU institutions are going to be particularly gung-ho about making sure that the reported numbers are truthful.
We will know that once the directive is in force, but it is quite certain that the U.S. and China will introduce a similar rule … the EU is once again ahead with this.
Audits and independent verifications exist too. Sure, you can just come up with random numbers but you better not get caught.
For example, industrial facilities need to report their emissions and you have to use an independent accredited lab. You can’t just use your own lab results for that purpose.
Today is a good day to live in the EU.
Good! Can’t believe it took so much time before someone thought of implementing this
Will cheating/lying be tolerated? This is so retarded, there’s meters on everything, or are they exempt?
The grid operator should know how much energy they’re sending to a specific part. It might include the datacenter and some other buildings, so the distinction isn’t always clear.
