The City of Edinburgh Council has voted to consider a moratorium on new data centres in the city until the Scottish Government defines what qualifies as a “green” data centre.
At the City Chambers on 19 March, councillors passed the motion with 51 votes. It states the council must now produce a report on whether such a moratorium would be possible.
An amendment by the Scottish Conservatives to delay a ban until an appeal is heard on the South Gyle data centre application, was supported by 10 councillors.
The Scottish Government has argued the building of AI-focused data centres is of national importance, and has since outlined some criteria of what a so-called “green” data centre would look like, such as being powered by renewable energy sources.
However, Councillor Alys Mumford, who proposed the motion, has argued local authorities need more clarity on this definition.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes unveiled the government’s new AI Strategy for Scotland on 20 March, which set out a five-year plan to integrate AI into Scotland’s industrial strategy, to improve public services, and to drive innovation.
However environmental campaigners have raised concerns, with Dr. Kat Jones, Director of the group Action to Protect Rural Scotland, giving a spoken deputation to the council.
There is concern that the increasing demand for generative AI could lead to unsustainable water consumption in data centres, as water is used in cooling systems and, albeit indirectly, in the manufacturing of semiconductors.
Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, told The Student she welcomed the council’s decision and that local authorities were right to seek a clearer definition.
She stated:
“Terms that may look good on a PR brochure are meaningless unless defined with legal clarity.”
“City of Edinburgh Council” by Kirsty S. Ross is licensed under CC BY 4.0.