Thousands of protesters marched through Edinburgh on Saturday to demand a halt to the expansion of giant AI data centres across Scotland.
An estimated 6,000 people joined the demonstration, which travelled down the Royal Mile to the Scottish Parliament. More than 80 organisations and community groups backed the protest, calling for a national consultation before new developments are approved.
There are more than 20 proposals for data centres at various stages of planning across Scotland, with growing opposition from communities concerned about their impact on electricity supplies, the environment and household energy bills.
Campaigners travelled to the capital from areas including Cockenzie, Dunbar, Larbert, Ravenscraig, North Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire.
The march was organised as part of a Europe-wide campaign against large-scale data centres, with similar demonstrations taking place in Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and Ireland.
Friends of the Earth Scotland senior campaigner Kim Pratt said: “Today we are marching to demand that the people of Scotland can have their say on these monstrous AI data centres.
“The huge data centres being proposed would crowd out communities, double Scotland’s electricity demand and make our energy bills more expensive, as well as trashing our climate commitments and using thousands of tonnes of precious materials, such as nickel and copper.
“The Scottish Government has failed to explain why it thinks AI data centres are needed in Scotland.”
One of the developments facing opposition is a proposed 70-acre data centre site at Cockenzie in East Lothian.
Gail Scott, of Cockenzie Communities Action Group, said: “Our community is facing constant pollution and health risks from the potential construction of a hyperscale data centre on our doorstep.
“These monstrosities destroy habitats for local wildlife, reducing the biodiversity of our community, and could lead to strains on the local electricity supply. They’re also far too close to people’s homes and community facilities. Elected representatives are meant to protect the interests of their citizens – not line the pockets of tech corporations. We deserve better.”
Scottish Greens MSP Patrick Harvie also backed the demonstration, calling for the Scottish Government to pause the approval of new hyperscale developments.
He said: “An unchecked rollout of hyperscale data centres is a crisis waiting to happen.
“These huge developments could put even more pressure on our electricity and water supplies, driving bills up even further and putting the country’s climate ambitions at risk.
“Communities deserve a say in whether we need them at all, or what the conditions should be if they are built, and I encourage anyone with concerns to join us on the march.
“The Scottish Greens will be marching with people from across Scotland on Saturday to call on the Scottish Government to pause new hyperscale data centre developments and have an honest national conversation about what they would mean for our energy bills, our climate and the places we live.”
Supporters of the data centre industry argue that Scotland needs the facilities to accommodate growing demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other digital technologies.
Sandy Begbie, chief executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise, is among the business leaders who have warned that Scotland risks falling behind if it fails to develop the infrastructure needed to support the digital economy.
Data centre operators, including Danny Quinn of Lanarkshire-based Data Vita, have also challenged claims about the industry’s water consumption and environmental impact.
The Scottish Government has agreed to review its policy on data centres following calls at Holyrood for greater public consultation.
Campaigners are pressing ministers to go further and pause new hyperscale developments while the wider implications for Scotland’s electricity network, climate commitments and local communities are considered.