18:24Machine-translated from Azerbaijani by AIRead in Azerbaijani
Nearly 100 protesters enter data center construction site for Microsoft
About 100 protesters entered the site of a data center under construction and designated for Microsoft in Amsterdam. The protest took place on the outskirts of the city on the morning of November 6. Some participants climbed a construction crane and hung an anti-artificial intelligence (AI) banner. The Geef Tegengas group also helped organize the pro-Palestinian protest.
The project consists of 3 data center towers, each 85 meters tall. Construction is being carried out by the British company Pure Data Centres. Microsoft will be the complex’s sole tenant. The construction of new data centers in Amsterdam is prohibited until 2030. However, work is continuing because planning for this project began in 2016.
The incident coincided with a broad campaign of protests against data centers across Europe. The Stop Dirty Data Centers coalition has planned protests in 16 countries on November 6 and 7. The campaign also includes Amsterdam, Dublin, Warsaw and another Microsoft facility in Denmark. Protests are planned at 85 locations in total.
The coalition is calling for an immediate pause in the construction of large data centers in Europe. Protesters are concerned that these facilities will increase energy prices and worsen water shortages and the housing crisis. They also highlight risks related to harm to the climate, the expansion of surveillance and the protection of personal data. The group is not demanding the closure of facilities currently in operation. Its goal is to halt construction until clear rules are developed for new projects.
Pure Data Centres called on the protesters who entered the site to leave safely and discuss the project. Microsoft said it respects the right to peaceful protest but does not condone illegal actions. Henna Virkkunen, the European Union’s technology chief, said AI capabilities are important. According to her, data centers must not cause power outages, high energy costs or environmental harm.
Restrictions are also being imposed on data centers in other European countries. In Denmark, applications to connect to the power grid have exceeded a combined capacity of 60 GW. This is more than 8 times the country’s peak electricity demand. In Finland, an allegation that Google illegally destroyed about 330 hectares of forest is being investigated. Italy has imposed a 200% tax on such facilities built on agricultural land. Microsoft also abandoned its largest project in Britain last month because the facility might not receive electricity until the next decade at the earliest.