"Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has said the impact of the rapid expansion of data centres on the UK's efforts to lower carbon emissions to net zero is "inherently uncertain". Miliband made the comment in a letter to MPs who had expressed concerns about data centres not being mentioned in the government's plans to deliver net zero."
"Data centres are giant facilities full of powerful computers used to run digital services, such as streaming and artificial intelligence (AI). The UK government wants the country to be a world leader in AI and is seeking to attract investment in data centres to achieve this goal. But there are concerns about the large amounts of water and electricity needed to run them, including from gas-powered generators."
"In his letter, Miliband said the government's modelling "accounts for potential emissions from data centres through our projection of overall electricity demand growth, which reflects broader economic trends". But he added: "Future demand from data centres, and interaction with wider energy system demands, remains inherently uncertain.""
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has acknowledged uncertainty regarding how rapidly expanding data centres will affect the UK's net zero carbon emission goals by 2050. Data centres are large facilities housing powerful computers for digital services like streaming and AI. The UK government aims to lead in AI and attract investment in data centres, but concerns exist about their substantial water and electricity consumption, particularly from gas-powered generators. Environmental campaigners worry new data centres funded by US tech firms could significantly increase emissions. Miliband stated the government's modelling accounts for data centre emissions through electricity demand projections, though future demand remains uncertain. MPs have launched an inquiry into data centres' environmental impacts following Miliband's response to concerns about their omission from net zero plans.
#data-centres #net-zero-emissions #environmental-impact #uk-energy-policy #artificial-intelligence-infrastructure
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