Nearly three in four people in Germany are sceptical about the construction of new data centres. That is the finding of a representative survey conducted by the polling institute YouGov on behalf of Welt am Sonntag. According to the results, 72 percent of respondents expressed specific concerns in connection with data centre expansion projects.
Worries about increasing electricity consumption, the potential impact of such facilities on electricity prices, and the water usage required to cool the servers were among the most frequently cited issues.
A further concern highlighted by the survey is the potential burden that data centres could place on local electricity grids. A quarter of respondents also said they were worried about possible climate impacts, the effects of new construction on local residents, and a growing dependency on large technology companies, as reported by Welt am Sonntag.
Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) told Welt am Sonntag that he understands why people are asking questions. "I understand that people in this country are asking how data centre expansion will affect them," Wildberger said. "We need to do more to educate people and make clear that municipalities and the regional economy benefit from such developments."
According to the minister, selecting suitable sites with adequate space and the right infrastructure is key to success: "We therefore need to identify suitable areas early on where everything fits: power supply, data lines, spatial planning, clear criteria and transparency, especially for public acceptance." In Wildberger's view, computing power is "the fuel for future growth and prosperity."
Green Party MP Anna Lührmann took a different position, calling for citizens to be included in debates about data centre construction. "If data centres overload local electricity grids, put groundwater at risk or drive up energy prices, resistance will grow," Lührmann told Welt am Sonntag.
She argued that the public concerns laid bare by the YouGov survey should be taken very seriously. Germany needs "intelligent expansion of computing capacity," said Lührmann, who serves as deputy chair of the parliament's Digital Committee.
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