{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Fossil vs Future","title":"WHAT ABOUT DATA CENTRES? Powering progress or slowing climate action?","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/884221ce\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2392,"description":"Demand for digital services has exploded — and with it, the rapid expansion of data centres providing the compute power behind everything from streaming and cloud storage to AI. But this growth could have serious climate consequences.In this episode, James and Daisy explore the rise of data centres. What exactly are they? Why are they becoming so central to our lives? And how can we guide their future growth to align with our climate goals?SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Cleaning Up (2025) – An on-location podcast episode where Michael Liebreich visits Sines, Portugal, where Start Campus is building a data centre, set to be Europe’s largest. Carbon Brief (2025) – Five charts on data centre energy use and emissions. Brookings (2025) – Analysis on the future of data centres. OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:Green Mountain – SVG-Rennesøy is a Norwegian Tier III mountain hall data centre built inside a former high security NATO ammunition storage facility and cooled by fjord seawater.The Guardian (2025) – Google plans to put AI data centres into space, with the first trial equipment sent into orbit in early 2027. Solar panels powering these data centres could be up to eight times more productive than those on Earth. Terrestrial Energy – A developer of Generation IV nuclear plants using proprietary Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) technology.NESO – The National Energy System Operator for Great Britain, responsible for electricity system planning amid rising demand.BBC (2023) – The waste heat from a washing-machine-sized data centre is being used to heat a public swimming pool in Devon.Bloomberg (2025) – Finland and Sweden are pairing data centres with district heating systems.WEF (2020) – Microsoft’s ‘Project Natick’ tested a shipping-container-sized underwater data centre off the coast of Orkney, Scotland, finding it was eight times more reliable than land-based equivalents.Kraken – An all-in-one, smart operating system automating much of the energy supply chain, supporting...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/dCUOC8ZSbKuKa-ws2silA6bT7eQxC922J__RXwMyKeI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8xZTI3/MGYwMjk3YzIwZjhj/YTlmODI0NmI3NzJk/ZmM5ZC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}