The Scottish Government faces urgent calls to address 'major shortcomings' in its data centre policy, as Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS) alleges a critical failure to account for the emissions of hyperscale AI facilities in assessments of 'green data centres' and their contribution to climate targets.
Kat Jones, director of APRS, branded the situation 'pretty shocking'. The government’s NPF4 national planning framework states that 'green data centres' will have an 'overall negligible impact' on Scotland’s emissions reduction goals. However, an APRS investigation revealed this assessment did not include hyperscale data centres – vast facilities that tech firm IBM describes as capable of housing at least 5,000 servers and 'quite possibly miles of connection equipment'.
The countryside charity noted that the government’s greenhouse gas assessment, published in October 2022, crucially predated the widespread launch of advanced AI systems such as ChatGPT. These technologies have since triggered an unprecedented and rapidly escalating demand for data centres globally, increasing their potential environmental footprint.
Ms Jones stated: 'It is pretty shocking to find out that the vast carbon footprint of hyperscale data centres has been completely excluded from the Government’s greenhouse gas analysis. However, it is not surprising because, when our national planning framework was being written, Chat GPT had not launched and hyperscale AI data centres simply didn’t exist.' She added that the Scottish Government’s failure to define a 'green data centre' has placed local planning authorities in an 'impossible situation'.
This policy vacuum now casts a shadow over the future of a planned new data centre on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Edinburgh City Council refused planning permission for such a facility at the Gyle in February, but the developers have since lodged an appeal. Ms Jones warned that the Edinburgh Gyle appeal is poised to be 'incredibly consequential for the future of Scotland’s planned hyperscale data centres,' as it 'will bring to light the complete lack of policy that exists around hyperscale AI data centres.'
A Scottish Government spokesperson responded by highlighting the nation’s advantages: 'Scotland has significant strengths as a location for green data centres – abundant renewable energy, a highly skilled workforce and a resilient fibre backbone. Our aim is to secure commercial investment in data centres that help drive economic growth while aligning with Scotland’s net zero ambitions and delivering benefits for communities.'
