EU Considers Weakening Climate Rules for AI Data Centers After Tech Lobby Pressure (heise.de)

• EU Commission draft weakens data center climate rules after tech lobby pressure.
• Original March draft required temporal and geographical matching of green certificates.
• New draft removes most strings and allows nuclear certificates.
• Amazon emissions up 16%, Google up 18% in 2025 due to AI data centers.

"The European Commission may significantly soften planned sustainability rules for AI data centers, according to a new draft seen by the Financial Times. The original March proposal required green electricity certificates to match consumption temporally and geographically, promoting new renewables. After lobbying by Amazon, Microsoft, and the EU data center association, the new draft removes many requirements and allows nuclear certificates. Critics warn this could increase fossil fuel demand. Amazon's 2025 emissions rose 16%, Google's 18% due to AI data centers."