Microsoft was constructing a data centre in Amsterdam, but activists stopped the building by throwing balloons full of acidic mixture; here’s why

‘People only see what they want to see.’ This is sheer human nature, where one focuses on their own visions and wants and ignores anything that goes against the expectations of how things ought to be. When it comes to the tech giants pioneering the AI boom, this stands true. They are obsessed with the prospects and possibilities of AI and will do anything to realise them, even rob the planet of water and the people of electricity.Currently, there are about 12,000 operational data centres across the world. Industry experts expect up to 500 new hyperscale sites to be built in the next few years due to the rising demand for AI. On the contrary, humans expect their lives to become just as difficult with the construction of these centres. Over the past year, as tech companies like Meta, Microsoft and others invest heavily in creating data centres, people have reported a variety of problems including air pollution, water scarcity, noise pollution, rising costs of electricity and loss of land forced by authorities.With public backlash against the growing number of AI data centres being constructed boiling over, activists are resorting to extreme measures to send home their message since peaceful protests don’t seem to work anymore. In Amsterdam’s Westport, climate activists affiliated with the group Extinction Rebellion claimed responsibility for a unique case of vandalism against a Microsoft data centre construction project. According to the Register, the protestors filled water balloons with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, salt and acrylic paint before throwing them at the facility.“This acidic mixture attacks concrete, and the hydrogen peroxide causes steel to rust faster,” said the group in a statement revealing that the action took place overnight on July 15 and 16. The impact of the balloons on the data centre project remains unknown as of now. But the group is known for using nonviolent civil disobedience and direct action to draw attention to climate issues that would otherwise go unnoticed. Previously, activists spattered the offices of fossil fuel insurers with foul-smelling butyric acid and used superglue and bicycle locks to barricade the entrance of Lloyd’s, a major insurance market in London.According to XR, the demonstration is signalling that the group is joining the Geef Tegengas, a Dutch climate and justice collective, campaign against the data centre located near Sloterdijk Station.

Data centres at the centre of climate activism

As targets for climate activism go, data centres have come to the front and centre. The facilities underlining the benefits of the AI boom are a major driver of carbon emissions due to their intense energy demand and also cause major problems with local water supplies.In the western port area, British data centre operator Pure DC is building three large data stacks that will be leased to the American tech giant Microsoft. The data centre will be split into three data halls reaching heights of 85m, and will offer 78MW of capacity. Microsoft is set to be a customer of Pure DC in Finland also.According to a report from NRC regarding XR’s attack on the site, Pure DC and emergency responders confirmed balloons were thrown at the site, but Pure DC said that it had no impact on construction and the company would seek legal action against those responsible. “Yesterday morning, balloons were thrown over the perimeter fence of Pure DC’s Amsterdam site which, protestors claim, contained corrosive chemicals. While we have not yet tested the substances to independently verify these claims, if true, these actions could have seriously injured protestors or workers and are irresponsible and dangerous. The Amsterdam Police have been informed and are investigating the matter. On this occasion, there has been no damage, and no delay to construction, but activities of this nature would amount to serious criminal damage, for which we would pursue prosecution to the fullest extent of the law,” said Pure DC in a statement.In the post-action statement, Extinction Rebellion argued that the data centre in question is weaponising a loophole “to circumvent the rules banning so-called ‘hyperscalers,’” and will “consume a gigantic amount of power in an area that already suffers from power shortages.”Along with local concerns around electricity usage and climate impacts, the group also connected their action towards Microsoft, which international rights groups argue played an instrumental role in Israel’s destruction of Gaza. “The climate and ecological crisis cannot be viewed in isolation from Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians or the fight against the destructive effects of AI,” said Martjin Dekker, a spokesperson of the group. “These abuses originate from the same few mega-rich, the same large corporations.”“We must join forces and resist the anti-democratic power of this small group of the very wealthiest,” he added. “Stopping the construction of this data centre is a necessary step in that regard.”

Lawsuits and attacks

While this data centre was attacked by activists, Microsoft has been having a hard time with its data centres across the United States. The tech giant’s much-touted $7.3 billion AI data centre in Fairwater, Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin was proudly announced by CEO Satya Nadella as “the world’s most powerful AI data centre.” But as per reports by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, three residents of the village of Sturtevant filed a class-action lawsuit against the data centre, alleging that the data centre was emitting “unreasonable and excessive noise onto Plaintiff’s properties, thereby causing property damages through private nuisance and negligence.”The noise being generated by “diesel generators and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems including chillers, cooling towers, air-handling units and condenser fans” is “consistent and pervasive” as per the lawsuit. The residents claim that Microsoft failed to mitigate the noise through “adequate acoustic barriers, shields or walls.”Not just noise, people have complained of facing water shortages, electricity outages, and many other problems while residing in areas near these data centres that are expected to power the world of AI while destroying the world of humans.As per a report by CBS, the Brown family of Coweta County, Georgia decided to sell their home to Georgia Power, rather than risk seizure by eminent domain. They are one of the likely 300 landowners who will have their property seized so that the for-profit, investor-owned corporation can build a new transmission line to connect new AI data centres. “To us it’s theft,” Browns’ mother told CBS. “It’s literally a billion-dollar company stealing land from smaller people, people who can’t fight back. We don’t have the money to fight Georgia Power.”It seems that with growing AI data centres, tech firms must be ready for opposition, not only from activists but also from landowners and homeowners whose lives are being disrupted with no solution in sight.