Data centres gobble 21 per cent of Ireland’s electricity, more than twice as much as all rural dwellings
Once a year, the Central Statistics Office releases a simple set of statistics that never ceases to shock.
This is not going to stabilise or tail off. As generative AI necessitates a large increase in data centres and their power, this drain on Ireland’s electricity will grow beyond an unsustainable level. At some stage, the Government is going to have to start living in reality and quit inhaling data centre industry and Big Tech spin and exhaling it as policy.
Rarely is this “boom” in data centres framed in the way it should be: the most extraordinary industrialisation project the country has ever seen in terms of the rapid pace of its expansion, its energy requirements, and the enormity of its profits. Infinite growth and infinite energy consumption at a time when we should be talking about reducing energy consumption is a very warped pursuit. This reality needs to be addressed.in Ireland is also worth querying.
Essentially unfettered data centre development is continuing apace here. Where will this take us? Some councillors vote to attempt to stem developments, and they are overruled. Some journalists attempt to spotlight this wild situation, and the industry and politicians push back on us, while other “pro-business” commentators shrug and say things like “data centres have to go somewhere”, or attempt to suggest that if you use the internet, you can’t highlight ramifications.
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