Data centres now account for 21 per cent of all electricity consumption in Ireland, rising from 5 per cent in 2015 amid exponential growth in cloud computing. Given the mainstreaming of AI and advent of quantum computing, energy consumption in data centres is set to increase significantly again, with the European Commission forecasting a sixfold increase over the next decade. In addition to energy use, data centres use increasing amounts of water for cooling purposes.

Although much of the debate has focused on the challenge of keeping pace with the increasing energy demand, data centre hosting presents an opportunity to underpin the long-term development of a significantly larger renewable energy sector in Ireland.

With the twin transitions of digitalisation and decarbonisation accelerating, this event will determine how data centres and the transition to a net zero energy system can co-exist. Additionally, the summit will take a wider focus through the lens of circular economy and investigate how Ireland can continue to benefit from the growth in data centres sustainably.