More than 100 civic and environmental groups across 16 European countries launched coordinated action against data center expansion. In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, about 100 activists forcibly entered a Microsoft data center construction site.
According to Reuters and Bloomberg on November 6, local time, protesters in Amsterdam hung protest banners at the construction site, and some climbed cranes. Police confiscated cutting tools and climbing equipment at the scene. Microsoft said it respects the right to express views peacefully but cannot accept unlawful conduct.
The groups, united under the name “Stop Dirty Data Centers,” are staging protests outside government offices in London and the Polish parliament on November 6 and November 7, and marching in Dublin, Ireland. Organizers raised concerns about the effects of electricity and water consumption and land acquisition associated with data center expansion on local infrastructure, housing, jobs and living costs.
As data center construction increases in Europe, individual projects are also facing investigations or tighter regulation. About 200 data centers in the Netherlands are planned, under construction or operating. In Finland, a Google project has become the subject of an investigation over site preparation, while Italy and Portugal are tightening related regulations. In the United Kingdom, Microsoft canceled a project after infrastructure problems caused delays.
European Union (EU) Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen told Reuters that Europe needs more data centers to secure its own AI development capabilities. Virkkunen stressed, however, that expansion must proceed carefully while addressing public concerns about sharp increases in electricity charges, power outages and environmental damage.
Original Korean article: kbmaeil.com
English brief by Korea Wind Intelligence, koreawindintel.com
