Amazon and Microsoft Want to Go Big on Data Centres, but the Power Grid Can't Support Them
upstart writes:
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Equinix and Microsoft may be forced to halt new data center projects in Dublin due to the city's power constricts.
The Times (Via Datacenter Dynamics) reports that Amazon and Microsoft are looking at alternative locations outside Dublin after state-owned electricity operator, EiGrid, imposed a moratorium on new connections in the capital city. The companies had earmarked nearly 2bn for data center expansion in the region.
EirGrid last year warned Dublin faced rolling blackouts due to excess demand, primarily from existing and new major data centers run by cloud giants. Ireland's Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) in 2021 named data centers "the single largest homogenous demand driver" on the grid.
"EirGrid is now applying these criteria to all data center applicants, many of which have decided not to progress their developments," a spokesperson said.
According to The Times, Microsoft and Amazon had received permission to build new facilities but Amazon reportedly hasn't received a connection from EirGrid and was told it would not be eligible for one. Microsoft meanwhile is exploring locations in London, Frankfurt, and Madrid. Amazon is building a data center near London.
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