More than 100 protesters entered a Microsoft data center construction site in Amsterdam today, as environmental and digital rights groups launched two days of coordinated demonstrations across Europe against the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.
The “Stop Dirty Data Centres” campaign, backed by more than 100 organizations, has announced actions in 16 countries today and tomorrow, according to Reuters. Protesters are demanding a moratorium on large-scale data center construction until governments address concerns about electricity consumption, water use and environmental damage.
Campaign coordinator Owen Espley said “communities and civil society from across Europe are rising up to stop dirty data centers where they live and demand their politicians impose moratoria on large-scale data centre developments,” according to The Guardian.
“The U.S. mid-term results reflect the concerns communities both sides of the Atlantic share about the harms of large-scale data centers,” he added.
In Amsterdam, activists climbed cranes, hung balloons and staged demonstrations at a facility being developed by Pure Data Centres, which plans to invest more than $1 billion in the project. The company said it remained committed to engaging with local stakeholders.
Other demonstrations are planned in Dublin, Warsaw and Denmark, The Guardian reported.
The protests highlight growing resistance to AI infrastructure expansion as technology companies invest heavily in computing capacity. European Union technology chief Henna Virkkunen told Reuters that Europe needs more data centers to support AI development but must guard against rising electricity costs and environmental damage.
The campaign is seeking a temporary halt to major new projects, not the closure of existing facilities.