Activists across Europe prepare for two days of data center protests

More than 100 community groups will hold events on Friday and Saturday in 15 European countries, calling for a pause on the construction of large data centers. The “Stop Dirty Data Centers” campaign links these projects to environmental and social costs. Planned events include a rally outside Poland’s parliament, a march in Dublin, a protest outside Microsoft’s data center in Denmark and a meeting near the site of a planned data center in Amsterdam.

Protests against large data centers planned in 15 European countries

Where the protests will take place

Participants will also gather in Brick Lane, in east London, where local residents are opposing the construction of a data center. A protest is planned near Poland’s parliament in Warsaw, a march in Dublin and an event outside Microsoft’s data center in Denmark. In Amsterdam, an educational meeting will be held near the site of a planned development.

Organizers expect only a few people at some events, while larger protests — including those in Dublin and Brick Lane — are expected to draw hundreds. Organizations backing the campaign include Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the London-based group Foxglove, which advocates for a fairer technological future.

Campaign coordinator Owen Espley said that communities and civil society organizations across Europe are demanding a moratorium on large projects from politicians. He said the results of the US midterm elections reflect concerns shared by people on both sides of the Atlantic about the consequences of building data centers. In this week’s elections, opponents of such facilities were among the Democratic Party’s most successful candidates.

Environmental and social consequences

Data centers have become a major target of criticism because of their role in developing and running advanced AI systems. According to a study by the German institute Öko-Institut, carbon dioxide emissions from AI data centers could be six times higher in 2030 than in 2023.

In the UK, energy use by AI data centers could lead to emissions of up to 123 million tonnes of CO₂ over the next 10 years. That is roughly the same as the emissions produced by 2.7 million people.

The European campaign also points to other potential consequences: the effects of chatbots on mental health, the risk of job cuts due to AI and the preference for data centers over housing construction. The technology industry counters that these facilities create jobs during construction and operation, and also support economic growth through AI development and deployment.

Pressure on power grids

From 2021 to 2024, around 250 data center projects worldwide were announced, each with power consumption of more than 100 megawatts. That capacity is comparable to the energy use of about 300,000 homes per project. Projects from North America make up the bulk of the connection queue.

In the UK, 315 data centers are awaiting connection to the power grid. Their combined demand is 73 gigawatts — more than the country’s peak electricity demand of 45 gigawatts.

Dataist’s take: The protests reflect a conflict between expanding AI infrastructure and the strain data centers place on the environment and power systems. One constraint on the debate is the opposing assessments of the consequences: activists point to risks for the climate and local communities, while the technology industry emphasizes jobs and economic growth.