EU urged to adopt binding data-center energy standards now

The European Commission published its roadmap on June 3rd and the author urges the EU to adopt binding energy-performance standards for data centers this year rather than waiting until 2027.

• Main announcement/action: The European Commission published its Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in the Energy Sector on June 3rd but does not propose binding measures and only lists mandatory energy-performance standards as an option to be assessed by 2027. The author calls for the EU to decide this year which standards are needed and to improve transparency on current data-center energy consumption.
• Background and details: The article cites a projected combined supply gap of 80TWh by 2030, recommends following examples from Germany, China and Japan on data-center regulation, and urges prioritising a fast track for grid access for heavy industry and ensuring large data-center operators (e.g., Amazon) do not crowd out decarbonisation efforts. It also references voluntary agreements in the roadmap and proposes measures on transparent algorithms and sustainable AI use.