The Environmental Audit Committee is about to start the first session of its new inquiry into how more data centres will impact the UK climate and nature goals – the evidence session starts at 2.30pm this afternoon.

MPs are currently exploring how growing AI use might accelerate the need for data centres and what impact this is likely to have on the UK’s environmental goals and energy infrastructure.

As uptake of artificial intelligence has increased, so has demand for data centres to power this new technology. While estimates differ, data centres are expected to require a large amount of energy, leading some to raise concerns about the impact of data centres on the national grid and water resources.

In the session, MPs are likely to ask about the principal environmental impacts of data centres, and whether sustainability is considered when data centres are planned and developed.

They are also likely to ask about the government’s AI Growth Zones scheme, whether data centre capacity can expand sustainably, and what involvement communities should have in decisions about data centres.

Witnesses

Panel one, from 14.30:

• Christina Christopoulou, Senior Manager, Infrastructure, Energy and Environmental Policy, Amazon Web Services
• Steen Stewart, Senior Advisory Consultant, Crown Hosting Framework Authority
• Michael Birtwistle, Associate Director of Law & policy, Ada Lovelace Institute

Panel two, from 15.30:

• Matt Evans, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Markets, techUK
• Dame Dawn Childs, CEO, nLighten
• Oliver Hayes, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Global Action Plan

Click here to watch the first session of the EAC’s inquiry Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK live on parliamentlive.tv or to catch up later