Are Data Centres Really as Bad for the Environment as People Think?

Data centres are not automatically as bad for the environment as headlines sometimes suggest. What studies reveal about data centre impactsResearch into data centres commonly focuses on three key impacts: electricity consumption, water use, and noise pollution. A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report estimated United States data centres directly consumed approximately 66 billion litres during 2023. So, are data centres bad for the environment? It needs firm rules ensuring data centres pay for the infrastructure they require and minimise their effects on communities.