We need the data centres because the cloud computing they provide is vital for our daily needs. A technology race has taken hold and America is using more gas to power its data centres, while China is burning more coal. West Dublin and Northern Virginia were the two top global locations for data centres over the last 20 years. They came here in part because the State supported new transatlantic fibre-optic cables, which run through Dublin en route to London and the Continent. It is not easy to get these cleaner data centres down to zero emissions, but 95 per cent of it can be reached at a relatively low cost.

Source: The Irish Times December 23, 2025 16:41 UTC