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2026-09-21 19:32:12
[EU Proposes Data Centers Disclose Energy and Water Efficiency, Plans to Triple Capacity in Seven Years] (1) The European Commission proposed on Monday to introduce regulations requiring European data centers to disclose their energy and water efficiency. (2) The EU hopes to triple its data center capacity in the next seven years to support the rapid development of artificial intelligence and to reduce its reliance on large US technology companies. (3) This expansion could strain the European power grid, consume water resources, and increase carbon dioxide emissions if the energy and water consumption of large data centers cannot be controlled. (4) To encourage companies to build data centers with higher energy and water efficiency, the European Commission proposed to establish a rating system to improve the transparency of relevant information. (5) The system will not restrict the energy and water consumption of data centers, nor will it require data centers to disclose their total electricity consumption; however, it will require data center operators with a capacity of 500 kilowatts to disclose their energy and water efficiency according to the EU-designed labeling system. (6) The new labeling system may become a prerequisite for the EU to set mandatory minimum standards for the energy and water efficiency of data centers in the future. The EU is currently developing relevant standards.
