Rapid adoption of generative AI is driving an unprecedented rise in data centre energy demand. At Data Centres in the AI Era, Anna Dowson, Sustainability Director at GreenScale Data Centres, outlines a practical pathway for meeting that demand without derailing corporate and governmental decarbonisation commitments:

• Energy-use trajectory & forecasts – Why post-2018 efficiency gains plateaued, how AI loads could lift data centre electricity demand 4× by 2035, and what the latest IEA scenarios mean for operators and investors.
• Location as a sustainability lever – Moving beyond legacy metro ‘clusters’ to sites co-located with abundant renewable generation, storage and grid headroom.
• From grid burden to grid partner – Configuring micro-grids that combine on-site renewables, battery systems and backup generation, enabling facilities to shed or supply load during grid-stress events.
• AI-enabled optimisation – Using machine-learning models to orchestrate weather-driven forecasting, dispatchable loads, battery charging cycles and price-signal response – unlocking up to 15% additional efficiency.
• Heat-reuse economics – How high-grade waste-heat from liquid-cooled AI clusters can underwrite district heating schemes and create tangible community value.
• System-level climate impact – The role of data centre AI capacity in accelerating electrification and decarbonisation across transport, industry and heating.