Ireland embraced data centers that the AI boom needs. Now they’re consuming too much of its energy

AP Technology Writer

CLONDALKIN, Ireland (AP) — Dozens of massive data centers are consuming more electricity than all of the urban homes in Ireland and starting to wear out the warm welcome that brought them here. Now, a country that made itself a computing factory for Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok is wondering whether it was all worth it as tech giants look around the world to build even more data centers to fuel the next wave of artificial intelligence. Fears of rolling blackouts led Ireland’s grid operator to halt new data centers near Dublin until 2028. These huge buildings and their powerful computers last year consumed 21% of the nation’s electricity. Further data center expansion threatens Ireland’s ambitious goals to cut planet-warming emissions by half in roughly a decade.