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Estimating cross-border cloud computing emissions: A consumption-based approach applied to major European data center hubs
Division of Public Policy (PPOL) - The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Clearwater Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5743-1686
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Sustainable development, Environmental science and Engineering, Sustainability Assessment and Management. KTH, School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM), Centres, KTH Climate Action Centre, CAC. KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Centres, Digital futures.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9873-0949
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Sustainable development, Environmental science and Engineering, Sustainability Assessment and Management. KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Centres, Digital futures. KTH, School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM), Centres, KTH Climate Action Centre, CAC.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7480-0858
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Sustainable development, Environmental science and Engineering, Sustainability Assessment and Management. KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Centres, Digital futures. KTH, School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM), Centres, KTH Climate Action Centre, CAC.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5600-0726
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2026 (English)In: iScience, E-ISSN 2589-0042, Vol. 29, no 6, article id 116061Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Cloud computing's expansion creates a significant carbon footprint from data center energy consumption. Standard location-based accounting attributes cloud emissions to countries where data centers are located, potentially obscuring where actual demand lies when services are consumed across borders. This study develops a consumption-based accounting approach to estimate cross-border cloud emission flows among the EU's three largest data center hubs: Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands, from 2017 to 2022. Using electricity consumption and emissions for data centers and telecommunications networks, we classify cloud activity as domestic (hosted and consumed within one country), export (domestic hosting, foreign consumption), or import (foreign hosting, domestic consumption). The analysis reveals distinct profiles: Germany's cloud footprint is predominantly domestic (75%), Ireland's is export-dominated (85% serves foreign consumers), and the Netherlands exhibits balanced flows. Consumption-based metrics can complement territorial accounting by revealing cross-border emission flows relevant to national climate planning and infrastructure policy decisions.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV , 2026. Vol. 29, no 6, article id 116061
Keywords [en]
computing, energy sustainability, energy systems
National Category
Energy Systems
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-383015DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.116061PubMedID: 42231952Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105039624848OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-383015DiVA, id: diva2:2070095
Note

QC 20260611

Available from: 2026-06-11 Created: 2026-06-11 Last updated: 2026-06-11Bibliographically approved

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Furberg, AnnaAzizi, ShoaibFinnveden, Göran

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