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Most data centers refusing to say how much water, electricity they use

216 points · 199 comments · Thom2503

  1. pbasista · · focus · HN ↗
    From the article:

    > The European Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) obliges data centers with an installed capacity of at least 500 kilowatts (kW) to report data including their energy and water consumption. In practice, few do so, despite the directive being in effect for three years.

    I do not understand how that is even possible.

    If any law is supposed to have any practical impact on the society, it needs to be enforced. Otherwise it is a guideline at best, not a law.

    I think what would help is for these companies to each receive strict and hefty fines for non-disclosing the electricity and water consumption data they are obliged to disclose.

    I assume that after that they would report all the required data very quickly.

    1. pjc50 · · focus · HN ↗
      National governments kind of suck at enforcing these. In some cases, like the notorious Ireland Apple tax shelter, they may not want to enforce the rules because they feel they are benefiting from the evasion.

      This kind of basic regulatory work is pretty thankless even when it's important. But I suspect the toxic politics of data centers will kick up some enforcement action sooner or later.

      (Why is it so toxic? Well, the explicit promise from AI companies of mass unemployment combined with higher electricity prices, and maybe even destroy the world <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;technology&#x2F;2026&#x2F;sep&#x2F;09&#x2F;anthropic-researchers-ai-human-extinction" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;technology&#x2F;2026&#x2F;sep&#x2F;09&#x2F;anthropic... is why.)

      1. philipallstar · · focus · HN ↗
        &gt; In some cases, like the notorious Ireland Apple tax shelter, they may not want to enforce the rules because they feel they are benefiting from the evasion.

        I thought it turned out the EU had no business in national tax affairs.

        1. flir · · focus · HN ↗
          The line between a tax break and illegal state aid is exceedingly blurry. (It swung back and forth as it went through the courts, but the final ruling was &quot;illegal state aid&quot;)
          1. philipallstar · · focus · HN ↗
            Extra-national laws are a real minefield, though. Ireland is in a great position without having too do very much of its own to have got there other than sign the right agreements.
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