Digitalization can only succeed in the long term if the environment and technology are considered together. The EU and events such as TransformIT Europe play a key role in this.

By Jan Nintemann and Jochen Siegle
Photo: Noah Buscher, Unsplash

Europe’s responsibility for sustainable digitalization

Artificial intelligence (AI) is considered a key technology in the digital transformation – and at the same time a potential climate accelerator. A recent study by the Öko-Institut on behalf of Greenpeace Germany warns that without clear political control, the increasing use of AI threatens to undermine the EU’s climate targets.

Europe in particular is now faced with the task of jointly developing solutions and creating framework conditions that enable both a digital and ecological future. The great opportunity: if the European Union leads the way with clear standards and cooperation, it can take on a pioneering role for a globally climate-friendly digital economy.

This is exactly where TransformIT Europe – the leading European trade fair for digital and green transformation – comes in. From May 6 to 9, 2026, it will bring together political decision-makers, tech companies, science and start-ups to develop practical and regulatory solutions for GreenTech and ClimateTech.

The study at a glance: AI as a resource guzzler

According to the Greenpeace study, the electricity consumption of AI data centers will increase elevenfold by 2030 – from 50 to around 550 billion kilowatt hours per year. This will be accompanied by massive amounts of CO₂ emissions, a sharp increase in water consumption for cooling and millions of tons of electronic waste. The expansion of the computing infrastructure also increases the demand for steel and critical raw materials.

Particularly explosive: even with an ambitious expansion of renewable energies, it will not be possible to fully cover the increasing energy demand. Many data centers are already dependent on fossil fuels – especially during peak loads. Some tech companies are even investing in mini-nuclear power plants to secure their computing capacities.

Indirect environmental impacts: AI as an accelerator of negative trends

In addition to the high consumption of resources, the study shows that AI is increasingly being used to optimize environmentally harmful business models. For example, to develop fossil energy sources more efficiently, to expand monocultures or to further increase private consumption. Unintentional environmental damage caused by incorrect training data or poorly configured systems has also remained largely unregulated to date – although they can have an enormous ecological impact.

What needs to happen politically now

The Greenpeace study calls for the swift further development of the legal framework for AI and digital infrastructures. This includes binding transparency obligations for data center providers, the disclosure of energy and resource data and an efficiency label for particularly environmentally friendly AI services.

It is also necessary to supply peak loads in data centers specifically with renewable energy or in-house storage – and not with coal or gas. Another key recommendation is the introduction of an environmental impact assessment for AI applications, similar to what is already in practice in the construction or chemical sector.

Europe as a platform for green digital standards

The challenge is huge – but it also presents an opportunity: Europe can take on a global leadership role through common standards, clear regulation and a targeted innovation policy. For this to succeed, we need political determination, but also spaces for dialog to find concrete solutions.

The TransformIT Europe trade fair sees itself as just such a space: as a platform for the development of climate-friendly data centers, efficient AI systems and sustainable digital strategies. It connects market players, politics and research at European level – so that digitalization and climate protection do not remain a contradiction in terms.

At the TransformIT Europe Kick-off Event 2025, the first European Google Developer Group Conference on the Future of European AI was already held. This event will return as part of TransformIT Europe 2026 and will be further expanded.