Hyperscale data centres are scarily large but Scotland needs them
We must endeavour to minimise the environmental damage caused by ‘hyperscale’ data centres, which can have similar energy demands to cities and be as thirsty for water as large towns
In 1867, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell – whose work “changed the world forever”, according to Albert Einstein – came up with a thought experiment that seemed to break the laws of physics.
Maxwell imagined a tiny intelligent creature, later dubbed ‘Maxwell’s demon’, that could open and close a small door between two chambers. Every time a fast-moving particle approached, the demon would open the door, but when a slow-moving one tried to pass through, he would close it. In so doing, one chamber would become hot, the other cold, and this heat-differential could be used to create energy out of nothing, which is impossible.
The solution to this apparent conundrum was that the ‘information’ required for the demon to make his decisions had an energy cost and that information was itself a form of energy. In 2010, scientists in Japan turned Maxwell’s thought experiment into a real one and, for the first time, converted information into energy.
Ravenous electricity use
This helps explain why computers use so much electricity, why data centres have started springing up across Scotland, and why they are about to massively increase in size.
Scotland’s largest centre is currently Chapelhall, North Ayrshire, which is working to expand its capacity to 40 megawatts. However, there are planning applications for what are known as ‘hyperscale’ data centres, with capacities of up to 1,000MW – about a quarter of the electricity used by Scotland at peak demand in winter.
And because all that energy creates vast amounts of heat, these centres need a lot of water to stay cool, with some requiring about the same supply as Paisley.
This has raised serious concerns about their environmental effects and the industrialisation of the countryside. Yet, according to Dr Kat Jones of the charity Action to Protect Rural Scotland, many hyperscale data centres are not being required to produce environmental impact assessments which she believes should be “mandatory”.
Since July 2024, the UK’s AI sector has attracted more than £100 billion in investment and, in 2025, it grew 23 times faster than the wider economy. It is absolutely vital to the economy, national security – given AI’s military applications – and future scientific advances that could be as earth-shattering as Maxwell’s.
However, while we should maximise the benefits, we must also endeavour to ensure any downsides are minimised. We should aim for the best of all worlds, even if the end result is likely to be the usual, slightly messy compromise.
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