Datacloud, a techoraco brand, the leading convening platform for the data centre, cloud and AI infrastructure ecosystem alongside key industry partners and associations announce today the first event to unite grid operators, policymakers and the data centre industry to address the urgent energy challenges in Europe. The Datacloud Energy & ESG Europe Summit will take place in Brussels in March.
Datacloud Energy & ESG Europe Summit to tackle urgent energy challenges facing data centres with backing from leading industry associations and industry experts.
The energy demands of data centres are becoming an increasing concern for operators, with a growing focus on the need for sustainable power solutions. A recent leadership session at the Datacloud Global Congress revealed 100% of data centre CEOs expect the importance of power supply to rise over the next 12 months.
83% of these CEOs identified the transition to green energy as a top priority, whilst less than 30% believe they currently have adequate access to renewable energy to support their operations.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that European data centre power requirements will triple by 2030. However, some key markets expect even sharper increases. The UK’s National Grid predicts a sixfold rise in energy needs, while Ireland’s transmission system operator, EirGrid, has warned that data centres could consume 30% of the country’s electricity by the same year.
As energy grids face mounting pressure from soaring demand and the integration of renewable sources, data centres are contending with growing energy costs, exponential load growth, and stricter ESG regulations. This highlights the urgent need for improved collaboration between data centres and grid operators. At Datacloud’s leadership session, 71% of CEOs indicated that strengthening partnerships with utility companies is a high or top strategic priority to ensure energy supply does not limit future growth.
Without urgent industry collaboration to address issues such as cost, availability and reliability alongside delivering against net zero imperatives, Europe runs a huge risk in being left behind in the AI economy. At present only 4% of AI spend is within Europe as hyperscale and genAI companies continue to deploy LLM training facilities outside of Europe.
In response to these critical issues, Datacloud has launched the Datacloud Energy & ESG Europe Summit, taking place in Brussels on 19-20 March 2025. This summit will bring together data centre operators, grid operators, policymakers, and key players in the energy sector to address the pressing energy challenges confronting the European data centre industry.
Upon launch, Richard Pimper, VP & CTO Digital Power, Huawei and advisory board member for Datacloud Energy & ESG Europe said, “How to manage zero carbon, sustainability: this is the question of the AI Ready Datacenters. We as a family race as one for energy revolution for a better, greener future.”
Datacloud Energy & ESG Europe Summit will focus on fostering collaboration in areas such as load forecasting, demand response, heat reuse, and interconnection best practices. The event will also explore the role of advanced energy technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs), enhanced geothermal energy, clean hydrogen, and long-duration energy storage, in meeting the industry's growing power demands.
The Datacloud Energy & ESG Europe Summit aims to lay the groundwork for innovative partnerships and solutions that will support the long-term sustainability of the data centre sector amidst its rapid expansion.
This important summit launches with the support of leading organisations including:
· German Datacenter Association
· Danish Data Center Industry
· E.DSO
· EUDCA (European Data Centre Association)
· Host in Ireland
· Net Zero Innovation Hub
· TechUK
The launch advisory board members are instrumental in building this impactful event and represent luminaries within the power and data centre space.
· Mark Acton, Head of Technical Due Diligence, Future-Tech Head (Advisory Board Chair)
· Michael Winterson, Managing Director, European Data Centre Association
· Andrés Acosta, Innovation Director, LevelTen Energy
· Anna Klaft, Chairwoman, German Datacenter Association & Global President IT, Rittal
· Dawn Childs, CEO, Pure Data Centres Group
· Richard Pimper, VP & CTO Digital Power, Huawei
· Chris Pennington, Director Energy and Sustainability, Iron Mountain Data Centers
Andres Acosta, Innovation Director, LevelTen Energy and advisory board member said: “We are excited to be part of the advisory board of Datacloud Energy & ESG Europe 2025, helping to define the key topics around new data technologies and their impact in the renewable energy sector. I look forward to discussing how data center operators and energy providers can collaborate to drive forward innovative energy solutions and accelerate the energy transition.”
For more information and registration details, please click here.
About Datacloud
Datacloud is a global leader in bringing together the digital infrastructure and energy sectors, providing unique opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and thought leadership.
