EU Proposes Energy Consumption Rating for Data Centres
The labels will rate energy, water and waste-heat use, while the Commission said 68 TWh of electricity was consumed by EU data centres in 2024.
- The European Commission proposed a rating scheme for Data-centre facilities to track Energy and Water Consumption, designed to make environmental performance transparent as Europe prepares for rapid digital infrastructure expansion.
- Seeking greater technological independence, the European Union aims to triple its Data-centre capacity over the next seven years, intensifying pressure on electricity grids and Water resources as the bloc pursues AI and cloud computing dominance.
- Covering facilities with capacity above 500 kilowatts, the scheme ranks efficiency on a colored scale, rewarding operators that contribute to the grid by reusing waste heat or adding clean Energy generation.
- The Commission is pairing the rating system with a public consultation on minimum performance standards, which closes on 14 December 2026 and could extend requirements beyond disclosure to influence investment decisions.
- European Commission vice president Teresa Ribera warned, "Tripling our data centre capacity cannot mean tripling the pressure on our grids, our water and our energy bills," emphasizing efficient operations as essential for the Energy transition.
58 Articles
58 Articles
(Brussels=Yonhap News) Correspondent Hyun Yun-kyung = The European Union (EU) announced on the 21st (local time) that it is pursuing a plan to classify the energy and water consumption of data centers within Europe...
TechXplore
Courthouse News ServiceEU proposes energy rating for data centers
Data centers in Europe will be rated on energy and water consumption under an EU proposal put forward Monday to pre-empt possible public discontent as the bloc pushes to boost its computing capacity.
El Periódico
To stay in the race for the mastery of artificial intelligence vis-à-vis its competitors, the European Union needs to invest in its computing capacity and, with it, in its data centres. With their energy and water consumption in focus, the European Commission has proposed this Monday a common framework to assess its sustainability. It is about creating a European label that classifies these facilities from A to G according to their consumption, …
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