Description
Our project is an investigative journalism initiative focused on the rapid development of data centers in Italy, with particular attention to Lombardy and the Milan metropolitan area. This region is experiencing unprecedented expansion and currently represents the fastest-growing data center market in Europe. The investigation will focus on three main dimensions: water consumption, land use, and energy consumption. While water supply appears to be a less critical issue in Northern Italy than in other regions, we will still collect and analyze water-related data, while concentrating our investigative efforts primarily on the latter two aspects. Regarding land use, we will examine where new data centers have been built and where additional facilities are planned, assessing whether they are located on former industrial sites (brownfields) or on agricultural land. We will also document potential conflicts involving local communities, public authorities, and competing land-use interests.
The investigation will be based on data collected in collaboration with the Osservatori Digital Innovation of the Politecnico di Milano, particularly those specializing in data centers and energy consumption. Our goal is to generate new and systematic information about a rapidly expanding yet still underreported phenomenon, making complex and fragmented data accessible and connecting technical, institutional, and local sources.
“We chose to investigate the data center phenomenon because we wanted to tell, through data, maps, and satellite imagery, the concrete impact that the greatest technological revolution of our time is already having on the territories where we live. Thanks to collaboration with a scientific partner, we will be able to experiment with new investigative and visualization techniques, in order to provide a rigorous and innovative account of this transformation” — Luca Salvioli, head of new formats for Il Sole 24 Ore
Project Team
Media outlet
Gruppo Il Sole 24 ORE
Milan, Italy
https://www.gruppo24ore.ilsole24ore.com
Luca Salvioli Mariani
Head of New Formats and Lab24
Italy
Research organisation
Politecnico di Milano – Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale
Milan, Italy
https://www.polimi.it
Alessandro Piva
Director, Data Center Observatory, Digital Innovation Observatories
Italy
