‘It’s like we’re being robbed’: The relentless march of data centres

Dublin: The sun sets over rolling fields near a quiet town in Ireland as Sorcha O’Neill and Dolores Moore stand at the edge of their suburban neighborhood in Naas, County Kildare. They point toward a stretch of farmland that is set to be cleared for a new row of data centres. Their concerns are growing as they fear their local council will soon approve the next phase of construction, bringing these massive industrial sites closer to their homes. O’Neill, a former local councillor with experience navigating the planning system, reveals she only became aware of the proposed development a few weeks ago. While reviewing plans for a more distant data centre, she stumbled upon paperwork indicating that the land adjacent to their homes, located in Jigginstown, had already been zoned for data centre use by Microsoft. The revelation left her stunned. “That’s right next door,” she says, describing the emotional impact of learning the land next to her home was earmarked for such a project. The issue reflects a broader trend in Ireland, where the number of data centres has surged dramatically. The country currently hosts approximately 72 such facilities, and projections suggest dozens more will follow within a few years. Developers are drawn to Ireland due to its combination of skilled labor, low corporate tax rates, a temperate climate, and abundant land. But perhaps most crucial is its strategic location. Data centres here sit near high-speed transatlantic connections, enabling rapid processing of artificial intelligence-driven tasks for users in wealthy nations. These facilities already consume one-fifth of the nation’s electricity, and that share is expected to rise to one-third in the coming years, making Ireland a critical testing ground for the global expansion of data infrastructure. For O’Neill and Moore, the implications extend beyond economic factors. Moore, a former catering worker who relocated from Dublin to provide a better life for her family, feels a deep connection to the community. “My kids loved it here,” she says. Now, however, she fears the encroachment of construction noise and the transformation of the landscape. O’Neill, a tech professional, questions the desirability of living near such facilities. As they drive along the perimeter of the farmland, passing horse studs and an old canal, she wonders aloud, “Who’s going to want to buy to live next to a data centre?” The situation in Naas mirrors a growing conflict between technological progress and local communities. In Waterford, another region under consideration for new developments, residents remain uncertain about the scale of potential projects. Plans for the exact size of the data centres have not yet been disclosed, leaving many concerned about the environmental and social impacts. A key deadline looms: a council meeting scheduled for September 9, which could determine whether the project moves forward. Nearby, at the Castle Grange Business Park, signs of the industry’s footprint are evident. This site hosts major tech firms, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, alongside a large Pfizer pharmaceutical plant. The area represents a stark contrast to the traditional pubs and music scenes of Dublin’s city center. O’Neill visits one of Microsoft’s properties at Site 075, where rows of white buildings stand unmarked. Though no logos are visible, the location clearly belongs to the tech giant, and it symbolizes a future O’Neill does not wish to see unfold in her neighborhood. As demand for data continues to grow, driven largely by the increasing use of artificial intelligence, the pressure on Ireland to accommodate more data centres intensifies. The Grange Castle complex, Microsoft’s largest outside the United States, consumed 1.3 million megawatt hours of electricity last year, a figure vastly higher than its counterpart in Sydney, which used just 7,704 megawatt hours. To meet energy demands, Microsoft is constructing a new gas-fired power station aimed at alleviating strain on the national grid. However, the environmental and social costs of such expansions remain a contentious issue for local residents and officials alike.