Europe's AI ambitions hit power bottleneck; experts urge learning from China

Europe's electricity demand has surged with AI expansion in recent years, straining grids already struggling to keep pace with renewable energy growth.

Over 1,700 gigawatts of renewable energy projects across 16 countries remain stuck in grid connection queues, while AI data centers already consume 2.5 percent of EU electricity—a figure projected to double within four years.

"AI data centers are not ordinary buildings. They require large, stable and continuous amount of power. They also need strong grid connection, reliable supply. We already see warning signs in some European countries. In Ireland, data centers represent a very large share of electricity demand. In the Netherlands, grid congestion has become a serious problem. These are not isolated cases, they show the kind of pressure Europe may face more widely," said Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a Brussels-based, non-profit international association fostering technological cooperation between European and Chinese companies.

Some European experts are urging more cooperation with China to address Europe's AI development problems, saying the vigorous development of China's AI ecosystem has provided a good roadmap for Europe.

"Europe needs to be investing more in infrastructure but also, more importantly, investing in the type of AI that it needs. What you need to do is actually develop and deploy AI together with quantum computing that is energy saving. Because of the energy costs that we have, I think it's much more inspiring to look at how China has been able, first of all to dominate the electrification stack and now gradually also the artificial intelligence stack," said Andrea Renda, research director at the Brussels-based think tank Centre for European Policy Studies.

"China has strong advantages in moving AI quickly from technology development to large scale industrial application. For Europe, cooperation with China can enrich its own industrial transformation and help European companies strengthen their competitiveness in the AI area," said Gambardella.

Adorable giant pandas were caught on camera eating skewers, a funny way to let them enjoy some of their favorite food, at a Chengdu-based section of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The bite-sized pieces of food were strung onto thin bamboo skewers. In some cases, they were hung from the trees so that the giant pandas can do more physical exercise while having their meals.

The CCRCGP is a world-leading institution dedicated to the breeding and conservation of one of China's national treasures, the giant panda. The center has established a global platform for promoting international cooperation and exchanges involving 18 zoos from 16 countries and regions, 39 domestic animal breeding institutions, and over 10 scientific research institutes.