Governments, households and businesses have a stake in how electricity networks accommodate the next wave of industrial growth. When someone proposes a major data centre development, the question extends beyond whether it can secure a connection to the grid. It also includes the additional cost of accommodating the connection. And it includes the need for generation capacity to supply it.

This raises the uncomfortable question of who pays for the supporting infrastructure. It also raises the question of what other opportunities that power system investment may serve beyond data centre load. Europe should apply that scrutiny to the expansion of artificial intelligence.