- The European Commission sets new energy rules to lower electricity use in data centres.
- Industry warns of costs and challenges to balance green goals with digital growth.
What happened: EU sets new data centre energy rules
The European Commission has put forward new rules to control energy use in data centres across the EU. These rules want to lower the electricity that big data centres use because they take a lot of power and add to carbon emissions. The plans ask data centres to meet energy efficiency standards and use more renewable energy. They also must report how much power they use. The rules are part of the EU’s bigger plan to cut greenhouse gases by 55% by 2030. Many digital services have grown fast and so have data centres. The European Data Centre Association said these rules might make running data centres more expensive and slow down growth. They worry small operators will struggle more than big companies. The Commission is asking for opinions before it makes the rules final.
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Why this is important
Data centres help run many online services like cloud storage and video streaming. But they use a lot of energy. The EU wants to make these centres more efficient to help fight climate change. Other places like the US and Asia also look at data centre emissions. The new rules might lead to better technology for cooling and using green energy. At the same time, the EU must keep data centres growing to support more digital services. If rules are too strict, companies might spend more money or stop building new centres. Small businesses might have a harder time than big firms. Experts say the EU should also give help and rewards for using renewable energy and better technology. Reporting energy use will help customers see how green their digital services are.
