News and Insights
Can data centre comms keep pace with AI?
October 21, 2025
In this blog, you will learn:
- The explosive rise of AI is driving the growth of data centres at a time when society is becoming more aware of the sector’s environmental impact
- Silence on sustainability is not a strategy. Data centre operators that fail to engage will leave a void that will be filled by speculation, criticism or competitors
- An experienced PR agency can guide data centre companies through sustainability communications challenges with a five-pronged PR strategy. Full details can be found in Data Centres: Effective Communications Strategies for Sustainability and the Rise of AI
As AI ramps up, data centres need a sustainability story
When we last wrote about the data centre sector, the focus was credibility – how to talk about sustainability without slipping into greenwash. Since then, the conversation has moved from perception to proof. Recent reports on the vast volumes of water used to cool AI facilities and the growing strain on the UK’s power grid have made sustainability an immediate, tangible issue.
As AI demand surges, data centres are under pressure not only to expand but to justify how that expansion is powered. Water and energy have become part of the public debate, shifting sustainability from a long-term ambition to a near-term operational reality.
For communicators, this means the narrative must evolve. Sustainability can’t be treated as a side note to innovation – it needs to be built into how organisations explain growth, investment and responsibility.
The latest FINN Partners white paper explores how data centre brands can respond to this shift. It calls for realism over rhetoric, measurable evidence over marketing lines, and a narrative that connects environmental responsibility with technological progress.
In this next phase, credible communication will set apart the brands seen as leading responsibly from those viewed as holding the sector back. For data centre marketers, it’s no longer about defending themselves – it’s about proving how innovation and environmental responsibility can progress side by side.
Data centres and the rise of AI
There is cautious optimism about AI around the world. Policy makers, businesses and consumers acknowledge the technology comes with risks, and there are many debates about how to regulate its use, but just as much is said about the diverse benefits it brings.
The UK government has promised AI growth zones, complete with faster planning permission to accelerate the delivery of data centre infrastructure.
AI is credited with much of the data centre industry’s forecast growth. As demand for AI technologies rises, so too does the need for more, and bigger, processing and storage centres to provide the power to train and run AI models and execute complex algorithms.
Data centres’ sustainability challenge
Sustainability has become a defining issue for data centres. These sprawling complexes consume huge amounts of power, 460 terawatt hours a year, to run their servers. That’s as much electricity as France uses and is equal to 1.3% of the world’s entire supply.
They also guzzle considerable quantities of water in their cooling systems, 1.7 billion litres a day in the USA. So acute is the issue of water consumption that Thames Water threated to restrict supply to data centres in 2023 if something wasn’t done.
Data centres generate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions too, around 1-5% of global emissions. By the end of 2030, it is forecast they will equal about 40% of US annual emissions.
AI exacerbates data centres’ sustainability problem because its large-scale models come with massive computational and storage needs that push centres to new limits.
Consider this: an AI-powered ChatGPT request consumes almost 10x the power of a Google search. Such is the rise of AI, Goldman Sachs predicts it will account for around 19% of data centres’ power needs by 2028 and it is predicted almost half of all new data centres will be used for AI by 2030.
PR strategy for data centre sustainability
As data centre operators develop and execute their sustainability strategies, they must tell a compelling sustainability story. Their audiences are varied: enterprise customers, investors, regulators, campaigners, the media and the general public. Each of these groups will have varied levels of awareness and knowledge and their own vested interests. Marketers and communicators must cater to all when crafting their messaging.
Unclear promises or overblown claims will backfire in a market that’s more sceptical than ever. Investors, customers and regulators value hard data, clear targets and full transparency over a series of feel-good statements about sustainability. There is no place for vague, overly technical or empty language. Messaging filled with jargon or buzzwords and lacking substance will invite criticism.
Companies must neither under- nor over-communicate. Sustainability has become a core part of corporate branding over the years, but in a crowded market every tech company claims to be green, so it’s harder than ever to stand out. The brands that own the conversation will set the standard. The ones that don’t will get left behind.
Taking the next step
An experienced PR agency can guide data centre companies through sustainability communications challenges with a five-pronged PR strategy covering messaging, thought leadership, reputation management, media liaison and crisis communications.
FAQs
What is the sustainability challenge for data centres?
Sustainability has become a defining issue for data centres. They consume lots of power to run banks of servers, get through billions of litres of water for their cooling systems and generate greenhouse gas emissions. AI exacerbates data centres’ sustainability problem because large-scale models need massive computational power and storage.
How should data centre operators communicate sustainability?
Silence isn’t an option. Data centre operators that fail to engage will leave a void that invites speculation, criticism or competitors. Companies need compelling sustainability narratives, targeted at their varied audiences. Vague promises or overblown claims will backfire and there is no place for overly technical or empty language.
Where can data centre operators get more information on sustainability communications?
An experienced PR agency can guide data centre companies through sustainability communications challenges with a five-pronged PR strategy covering messaging, thought leadership, reputation management, media liaison and crisis communications. Find out more in the white paper Data Centres: Effective Communications Strategies for Sustainability and the Rise of AI.
FINN Partners’ technology team specialises in creating impactful announcements that capture attention and achieve communication goals. To find out more, get in touch to discuss how we can support your PR needs.
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