In Amsterdam, 218 participants in an action near a data center under construction for Microsoft were detained. By November 7, all were released. The protest took place against the backdrop of a European campaign against the expansion of large data centers: activists dispute the consumption of electricity and water, while the developer emphasizes investments and future jobs.
The AMS01 complex is being built by Pure Data Centres. According to its data, investments exceed €1 billion, and the site's capacity will be 78 MW. After completion of construction, the company expects to create more than 80 permanent jobs.
The action took place on November 6 in the Sloterdijk area in the west of Amsterdam. The updated number of detainees was reported the next day by NH Nieuws citing a police representative. One person spent the night in a cell and was released on Saturday.
According to the police, some of the protesters forcefully entered the construction site, where property was damaged. Items believed to have been taken from the construction site were found on some detainees. Representatives of the facility reported illegal entry and damage. The release of the detainees in itself does not mean the end of the investigation.
The motives of the participants varied. The climate movement Fossielvrij NL organized a demonstration against the expansion of data centers, pointing to their energy consumption and load on power grids. The pro-Palestinian group Geef Tegengas protested against Microsoft providing services to Israel, reports NOS.
Microsoft told NOS that it respects people's right to peacefully express their opinions, but does not support illegal actions and actions that threaten safety.
The Amsterdam demonstration took place during the European campaign Stop Dirty Data Centres, announced for November 6–7. Its organizers demand a temporary halt to the construction of large data centers until the environmental and social consequences are discussed.
For local communities, the dispute concerns the distribution of resources: how much electricity and water new computing capacities will receive and to what extent residents can influence such decisions. Campaign participants believe that the expansion of infrastructure for artificial intelligence is happening without sufficient public discussion.
The developer presents its own arguments. In a project description published on November 6, Pure DC stated plans to invest €9 million in strengthening the local power grid. The company also states that cooling will use non-potable surface and river water from the industrial water supply system of the port.
According to Pure DC, the complex is being built on previously unused industrial territory, and its computing capacity will serve companies and public services. Thus, the subject of the dispute is not only the necessity of digital infrastructure, but also the terms of its construction, resource consumption, and benefits for the host city.
Based on materials from: NH Nieuws, NOS, Stop Dirty Data Centres, Pure DC.
Photo: Data center Microsoft in Middenmeer, Netherlands, September 23, 2023. Archive illustrative photo: Hay Kranen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Photo cropped, size changed.
