Commission enhances energy efficiency and sustainability of data centres in the EU

The European Commission proposed today a common rating scheme for data centres aimed at increasing transparency on their energy use and supporting their sustainable integration into Europe's energy system.

Data centres are essential to Europe's digital future. Increasing computing capacity in Europe is important for strengthening Europe's technological independence and digital sovereignty. This is why the EU wants to triple its data centre capacity over the next five to seven years. Still, this growth brings challenges which need to be addressed. In addition to using more energy, an increase of data centres could put extra pressure on electricity grids and the use of natural resources, such as water, and contribute to increase carbon emissions. To limit these impacts, it is essential that data centres are highly energy- and water-efficient and sustainably integrated in the energy system.

With the common rating scheme proposed today, the Commission will help ensure that there is transparent information about the actual use of resources (energy, water) by data centres. The rating scheme will cover individual data centres with a capacity above 500 kW. It will also cover data centres' contribution to the grid, such as the reuse of waste heat, the addition of clean energy generation capacities as well as flexibility. A striking example: reusing around half of all waste heat from European data centres is the equivalent of the total heating demand of 4 million households in Europe. Sustainable, flexible and well-designed data centres that can adjust their electricity use to the grids conditions, can help lower the overall cost of the electricity system, improve grid stability, and integrate more renewable energy.