EY, AIT & Borderstep Institute (2025). Assessment of next steps to promote the energy performance and sustainability of data centres in EU, including the establishment of an EU-wide rating scheme. EU Commission. Directorate General for Energy.

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Abstract

The second technical report of the EUDCEAR study proposes policy options such as an assessment scheme for sustainability in data centres or minimum requirements for energy and water efficiency, waste heat utilisation and renewable energies. The report thus shows ways of dealing with the rapidly growing hunger for computing and storage capacity.

Do we need an EU-wide rating scheme for data centres – and what could it look like?

• The report recommends the introduction of a multi-criteria label that covers the entire spectrum of sustainability: from the efficient use of resources in the data centre and the origin of energy and water (upstream chain) to the use of waste heat and the circularity of hardware (downstream). The aim is to largely utilise already established parameters in order to make the label easy to understand and minimise the effort for operators.
• Recommendation: The label should be developed to be machine-readable and integrated into the existing EU database to enable automatic generation. It is also proposed that at least one further round of data collection be carried out, that the data be checked for plausibility and that incentives be created for data centres with a capacity of less than 500 kW to participate voluntarily.

How can minimum performance standards (MPS) for energy efficiency be defined – and what are they based on?

• MPS focussing on three key performance indicators are proposed: PUE, WUE and REF. The proposed limits are considered technically feasible and proportionate across the EU. They are based on the existing reporting structure and are therefore verifiable.
• The definition of the limits is based on real data reported throughout the EU in accordance with Article 12 of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), supplemented by external benchmarks, industry initiatives and feedback from stakeholders. The analysis was based on data from 748 reported data centres.
• The „Best Available Technologies“ (BATs) demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed standards: Older and smaller data centres in particular achieve the greatest efficiency gains. A combination of retrofitting measures (e.g. enclosure, adiabatic cooling) and strategic energy procurement (e.g. power purchase agreements, photovoltaics) is particularly effective.

Is the transition to a „Net-Zero“ data centre sector feasible – and under what conditions?

• The focus is on the actual reduction of emissions. Certificates and offsets should only be used for unavoidable residual emissions – in line with the guidelines of the IPCC and the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
• A complete elimination of electricity-related emissions by 2030 would already significantly reduce the sector’s overall emissions. However, emissions along the supply chain, which require gradual decarbonisation, remain a challenge. Temporary offsetting can be a transitional solution here, provided the certificates used are trustworthy and of high quality.
• In view of the rapid expansion of the digital infrastructure, the report recommends setting ambitious targets at an early stage and embedding these in existing EU policy frameworks (e.g. Fit for 55, EED, EPBD). Subsequent technical upgrades during ongoing operations would be significantly more costly and less efficient to implement.

What are the aims of the study?

• Mapping and assessing the sustainability of data centres in the EU
• Analysing existing reporting standards on the environmental impact of data centres
• Developing measures to increase energy efficiency and promote renewable energy
• Investigating the feasibility of a „net zero“ data centre sector
• Providing recommendations for EU policy action

The study is based on an analysis of data from the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) reporting on data centres in Europe. In addition, further insights into the sustainability and development of data centres in the EU are gained through extensive surveys, interviews with experts and operators as well as the evaluation of existing publications. It will also examine how well current regulations work and whether and how they can be optimised.

Data centres are currently being built on a massive scale throughout Europe. The label will create an evaluation option for data centres, enabling customers to better decide which data centres meet their sustainability requirements.

— Simon Hinterholzer, Borderstep Institut

More on the topic

• Project: European Union Data Centre Energy Efficiency Assessment and Reporting Scheme (EUDCEAR)
• Publication: Assessment of the energy performance and sustainability of data centres in EU. First technical report
• Facts & Figures: Rechenzentren in der EU
• Wissen kompakt: Noch Fragen?
• Research area: Digitisation & Green IT
• Research area: Projects Digitisation & Green IT

The authors

Simon Hinterholzer (Borderstep Institute). Ralph Hintemann (Borderstep Institute). Severin Beucker (Borderstep Institute). Nicolas Marx (AIT). Patrik Furda (AIT). Dennis Heatubun (EY Belgium). Ionut Dragan (EY Belgium). Marco Bolchi (EY Belgium). Patricia Lopes Bautista (EY Belgium).

Publisher

EU Commission – Directorate-general | ENER

How to cite

European Commission: Directorate-General for Energy, Hinterholzer, S., Hintemann, R., Beucker, S., Marx, N., Furda, P., Heatubun, D., Dragan, I., Bolchi, M., Lopes Bautista, P. & (2025). Assessment of next steps to promote the energy performance and sustainability of data centres in EU, including the establishment of an EU-wide rating scheme: second technical report, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2833/0828045

Topics

Data center • Generative KI • Energy efficiency • Waste heat utilisation • Edge-Cloud-Kontinuum • Carbon Footprint • Assessment Scheme

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