More than 100 groups will hold data center protests in Europe

More than 100 groups in 15 European countries will hold protests on November 6 and 7 against the growth of data centers. They want a moratorium, which is a stop to new large projects. The protests follow the US midterm elections, where limits on AI server farms were a part of the speech of candidates of the two large parties.

What is planned

The groups will hold demonstrations, meetings in the area, petitions and tours. The protests include Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, France and the UK. A march in Edinburgh follows on November 14.

What they say

Oliver Hayes of Global Action Plan in the UK says that governments do not tell how many data centers are necessary, what they are for or where. The groups want clear rules and a voice for local persons before each new data center. A report says that a Google subsidiary cut 250,000 trees in Finland against the law.

What is not known

The groups gave no count of persons who will come. The UK government wants more data centers and overturned council refusals of permission for data centers. Alan Howard, an analyst at Omdia, says that data centers became an easy target for politicians in the US.

Insight: Governments push growth while the protest grows

The UK government overturned council refusals of data center plans. In June, the German government removed a duty for new data centers to send waste heat to other users. Critics say that AI growth comes before climate targets. Governments back growth, and groups use local pressure. This reads as a test of who selects the sites of data centers. Prepare for delays in permission, and monitor the German parliament vote.