Energy

‘The data centre debate has been presented in a very binary fashion’: Amazon chief

Speaking exclusively to the Business Post, Neil Morris, Ireland lead for Amazon, spells out danger of moratorium to the economy

Neil Morris, country lead of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Ireland and the head of its European network of data centres: ‘It’s not simply the environment or the economy. We have got to do both.’ Picture: Fergal Phillips

In late December 2021, a shock wave ripped through the Irish tech sector when Eirgrid, the semi-state operator of the power network, confirmed it was introducing an effective ban on new data centre developments in Dublin.

With the capital’s power grid creaking under the pressure of rising demand and years of underinvestment, Eirgrid was left with no option but to inform the data centre industry that it would be 2028 before any new facilities could be built.