Today’s Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll exposes a sharp divide between voters and the Government over the future of data centres. Asked whether more should be built or construction halted for the time being, 61 per cent of respondents chose a pause, against 23 per cent in favour of further building. The facilities already consume nearly a quarter of Ireland’s metered electricity, more than all urban households combined, and projections suggest that share could approach a third by the end of the decade. Opposition cuts across party lines. Majorities of every party’s supporters favour a halt, including among the two main Government parties, where 56 per cent of Fine Gael voters and 54 per cent of Fianna Fáil voters agree.
Ireland is not immune to the sort of backlash, seen most dramatically in the US, against facilities being built at breakneck speed to supply the computing power demanded by artificial intelligence (AI). In Texas and Pennsylvania, governors who once courted the industry have abruptly changed course as the November 3rd midterm elections approach. American voters complain of rising electricity bills, noise, heavy water use and generous tax breaks. Construction brings some temporary jobs, but the lasting benefit to host communities is modest at best. Growing unease about AI itself, from the threat to employment to more existential fears, has found a tangible target in these vast buildings.
Ireland has been among Europe’s most enthusiastic hosts, and the Government’s new plan aims to steer future facilities towards regional sites powered by renewable energy. Its case for continued construction rests on the claim that data centres are essential if Ireland is to retain its place at the heart of the digital economy and continue to attract the multinational investment on which prosperity depends. That argument deserves more rigorous scrutiny from the Opposition and from civil society. The poll reveals real and mounting concern. It has yet to produce the kind of grassroots revolt now under way across America, but that may only be a matter of time.
