Data centres are expanding rapidly in Switzerland, with such facilities already accounting for 4% of national electricity.
The SonntagsZeitung reports that Switzerland is now home to 86 data centres, and only the Netherlands has a higher rate per capita in Europe. The paper cites a 2021 study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts estimating that the energy usage of Swiss data centres will double in the next five years, mirroring trends worldwide. “Politicians generally underestimate this development,” Professor Adrian Altenburger of the Lucerne University told the newspaper. “The energy needs of these centres are going to massively increase in the coming years.” The International Energy Agency (IEA) meanwhile estimated that in 2021 data centres gobbled up 1% of global energy. In Ireland, home to various big tech firms, such centres account for 14% of national energy, a figure which could increase to 27% by […]
