The Download - Data Centres: A powerful enabler of Europe's twin transition

In this edition of ‘The Download’: Data centres have surged to the forefront of public interest, as they are crucial to our increasingly digital world.

With the rapid advancements in digital technologies including AI used across the economy, data centres are now the backbone of key sectors such as healthcare and transport, because they store and process vast amounts of data that enable the services and technologies that we’ve come to rely on.

But as their importance grows, so has concern over their energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The good news? Data centres are at the heart of green innovations, helping to decarbonise other sectors and driving the development of renewable energy by adding new capacity to the grid.

Take smart grids, for example—powered by data centres, these systems are revolutionising energy distribution, minimising energy waste by perfectly balancing supply and demand. Or consider electric vehicles: the vast amounts of data needed to manage EV charging networks flow through these very centres, driving the shift away from fossil fuels and toward a cleaner future.