Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the “demonisation of data centres” needs to end if Ireland is to keep up in the tech and artificial intelligence (AI) sector.
Speaking at a data centre-linked company called Hanley Energy on the final day of his St Patrick’s Day festival trip to Washington DC, the Fianna Fáil leader said in his view Ireland should “step up” on the issue.
While saying Ireland and others also need to keep in mind climate action response targets, the Taoiseach said we cannot ignore what he said are the economic and industry benefits of data centres.
He said the “demonisation of data centres” should end, adding: “We do need to step up. We can’t just postpone AI.
“We can’t declare a moratorium on AI. We’d be left well behind if we do that.”
The Taoiseach said there is a need for a “mature debate” on the issue, alleging that in his view “there are significant numbers in Dáil Éireann completely disconnected from the reality of economic life”.
And while acknowledging data centres also contribute to potential climate problems due to the large amount of energy they consume, he added that Ireland can offset this by producing more climate-friendly energy in Ireland.
“I think our problems will ease off with off-shore wind, that will come on-stream in [a] significant sort of critical mass in the early 2030s.
“So I think we can see where the end game or the promised land is in respect of offshore wind,” he said.
The Taoiseach’s comments are likely to lead to fresh criticism of the Government’s focus on data centres from Opposition TDs concerned about the rise in usage of the technology and the growth in data centres in Ireland.
