Data center energy consumption remains firmly in the spotlight, especially as we head into the winter months faced with the far-reaching impacts of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. From Ireland, the Netherlands and further afield, the conversation around the necessity of new data center build has sparked a variety of responses - from pushback on new proposals to moratoriums. But with industry growth at stake, what can the industry do to ‘rebrand’ and essentially engage?

There’s no denying that public opinion has become a critical element in delivering data center growth, yet there's still a distinct lack of understanding from the general public of what data centers actually are and what they do. How do we as an industry best remedy this? Is it time to form a 'social contract' between the industry and the communities data centers find themselves in? We talk to two experts about the work they are doing to drive government and community engagement and how the industry may need to change in the long term.