Ireland's data centers consumed 23% of national electricity in 2025, nearly matching household usage
In 2025, Ireland's data centers consumed 23% of the country's total electricity, nearly as much as all urban and rural homes combined. This occurred despite years of grid restrictions aimed at curbing growth. The figure highlights the immense and growing energy demand from AI and cloud computing infrastructure.
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Communities push back against AI data center buildout
A growing number of local communities are protesting the construction of AI data centers, citing strain on power grids and environmental concerns. The movement traces back to a 2015 protest against Apple's data center plans, as highlighted in a recent Verge newsletter.
Big Tech emissions rise 19% in a year, driven by datacenter construction for AI
Microsoft, Amazon, and Google's collective carbon emissions reached 119 million metric tonnes in FY ending March 2026, a nearly 20% increase from the prior year, driven by datacenter construction for AI. The three companies still aim for net zero despite the rise.
Microsoft's carbon emissions rise 25% in 2025, hitting 34 million metric tons
Microsoft's 2026 sustainability report reveals that its carbon emissions increased by 25% in 2025, totaling 34 million metric tons without select interventions. The company continues to struggle with meeting its climate goals, partly due to the energy demands of AI.
Sunrun launches pilot to place AI compute nodes in customers' homes with solar+battery
Sunrun, a solar and home energy storage company, is launching a distributed AI compute pilot program that places compute nodes in customers' homes equipped with Sunrun solar and battery systems. Participants will be compensated for hosting the nodes, which Sunrun plans to sell as distributed AI data center capacity.
Scottish government to consider moratorium on new datacentres after SNP motion
The Scottish National Party (SNP) national council passed a motion on June 28, 2026, calling for a moratorium on all new datacentres in Scotland. The motion has been sent to the Scottish government for consideration, threatening a key component of the UK's AI strategy.
