Warning that rising data centre energy usage risks Ireland's climate targets 

The conundrum faced by the Government is that data centre owners in Ireland are typically multinational giants which provide a lot of employment and revenue.

The ever-rising use of energy by data centres cannot continue if Ireland is to meet its climate and emissions targets.

That is according to one of the country's foremost clean energy experts speaking after the CSO revealed that electricity consumption by data centres increased 32% in 2021 compared to the previous year, and has risen 265% since the start of 2015 to the end of last year.