Big Tech’s AI dream turns into Ireland’s energy nightmare

Energy-hungry artificial intelligence is stressing Ireland’s power grids, jeopardizing the country’s position as Europe’s tech hub.

BRUSSELS — The growth of power-hungry artificial intelligence is redrawing the map of Europe’s data centers — and Ireland, the heart of the continent’s tech scene, may lose out.

When users stream a movie or check their email, they connect to data centers — the physical backbone of the digital world. These rows of server racks have become a pillar of the economy in Ireland, the European Union base for many tech companies.