Ireland among 15 European countries to take part in protests against 'dirty data centres'

Organisers expect attendance at the European events to range from a handful at some to several hundred at larger gatherings such as in Dublin and in London.

Protesters across Europe are planning two days of action against this week, with demonstrations taking place in 15 countries, including Ireland.

More than 100 groups are joining together for the “Stop Dirty Data Centres” events on Friday and Saturday. They are calling for a moratorium on large projects, citing environmental and social costs “we can no longer afford”.

Data centres have become a lightning rod for concerns over artificial intelligence, given their role in developing and operating the cutting-edge technology. In the US midterm elections this week, opponents of data centres were among the biggest winners for the Democrats.

Actions across the two days include a march in Dublin; a protest outside the Polish parliament in Warsaw; a demonstration outside a Microsoft data centre in Denmark; a “teach-in” near the site of a planned data centre in Amsterdam; and an event in the Brick Lane area of east London, where a data centre development has met local opposition.

Owen Espley, the campaign’s coordinator, said communities in the US and Europe are sending a message about data centres.

“Communities and civil society from across Europe are rising up to stop dirty data centres where they live and demand their politicians impose moratoria on large-scale data centre developments,” he said. 

The US mid-term results reflect the concerns communities both sides of the Atlantic share about the harms of large-scale data centres.

Organisers expect attendance at the European events to range from a handful at some to several hundred at larger gatherings such as in Dublin and in London.

Groups backing the protests include Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and Foxglove, a London-based campaign for “a fairer tech future”.

A key factor in national and local opposition to data centres is their impact on the environment. 

By 2030, carbon dioxide emissions from artificial intelligence (AI) data centres will be six times the 2023 level, according to research by the Öko-Institut of Germany.

According to the Central Statistics Office, data centres collectively accounted for 23% of Ireland’s total metered electricity consumption in 2025. Figures from EirGrid stated it could increase to 30% by 2030.

Various social impacts are listed by the pan-European campaign, from the impact of chatbots on mental health to the threat of AI eliminating jobs and the prioritisation of data centres over housing. 

The tech industry argues data centres create jobs during construction and operation, and drive growth by supporting the development and deployment of AI.

About 250 global data centre projects exceeding 100 megawatts in energy demand — equivalent to about 300,000 homes per project — were announced between 2021 and 2024, with North American schemes dominating the waiting list.

In Ireland, the Social Democrats has called for legislation to be introduced that would mandate a public register of data centres setting out their locations, carbon emissions, energy requirements, and water usage.

The Guardian