AllAboutLaw

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AllAboutLaw

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AllAboutLaw

The quiet giants of the digital age: How lawyers are powering the digital backbone

Episode #5311 December 2025

Across Europe, data centres are consuming power on a staggering scale. By 2030, they could require as much electricity as 100 million homes—about half of all households in Europe. A far cry from the anonymous concrete monoliths on industrial estates, data centres have become a major part of commercial conversation and evolved into critical infrastructure powering everything from streaming and cloud storage to artificial intelligence.

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A data centre stores and processes the information that drives modern life, from photos to AI systems. Their power demand is enormous: one medium-sized facility can use as much electricity as an entire town. Companies must coordinate with the National Grid and local authorities to secure reliable and consistent power supply. Lawyers are central in managing these relationships, handling contracts and ensuring that construction, power access, and planning permissions align.

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