A European Collaboration to Build Regional Digital Ecosystems

The Province of North Holland, together with the Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance (SDIA), organized a three-day summer school bringing together policymakers from across Europe to address the challenges and opportunities of digital infrastructure development. As data centers continue to grow across Europe, impacting energy, water, and land resources, this summer school provided a platform for knowledge exchange, vision-building, and policy co-creation.

The Challenge: Managing Digital Growth with European Values

North Holland, with the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam, is one of Europe's fastest-growing data center hubs. While digital infrastructure is essential for economic development, its rapid growth comes with significant demands on resources. The Province recognized that addressing these challenges requires a coordinated European approach, with policymakers equipped with shared understanding and tools.

A Systems Approach to Digital Infrastructure

The summer school introduced participants to a comprehensive taxonomy for understanding the digital economy as an interconnected system, rather than viewing data centers in isolation. This mental model helped participants understand that the growth and environmental impact of data centers are symptoms of broader systemic issues in how the digital economy functions.

Key components of this taxonomy included:

• Digital products and services (like Google Search or Microsoft 365)

• Business models and technologies

• Digital resources (data processing, storage, transfer capacity)

• The internet as a marketplace

• Digital infrastructure (ICT equipment, buildings/data center facilities, cooling, power, land, fiber)

Co-creating a Shared Vision

Through collaborative workshops, participants developed a shared vision for sustainable digital infrastructure across three time horizons:

5-Year Horizon

• Energy and transparency labels for digital products

• International standards for measuring environmental impact

• Integration of digital infrastructure into urban environments

• Marketplaces for fair access to digital resources

• Digital sufficiency considerations in policy

15-Year Horizon

• Digital economy oriented toward social welfare and European values

• Beyond carbon-neutral infrastructure contributing to sustainable development

• Widespread understanding of the true costs and benefits of digitalization

• Policies based on comprehensive data and transparent insights

From Vision to Action

Participants explored concrete actions across three key areas that governments can use to shape the digital economy:

Regulation

• Enforcing transparency across all layers of the digital economy

• Requiring sustainability standards and energy integration

• Regulating resource usage (energy, water, materials)

• Anti-trust measures to create open markets for digital resources

• Forcing interoperability and open standards

Stimulation

• Regional cloud infrastructure for local government and startups

• Settlement requirements for sustainable facilities

• Tax breaks for refurbished materials and circular services

• Subsidies for sustainable digitalization among SMEs

• Best practice showcases and sustainability playbooks

Innovation

• Research and development for new cooling technologies

• Creating policy think tanks and R&D centers at universities

• "Dig once" requirements for infrastructure development

• Models for intentional data center and community design

• Financing mechanisms for sustainable digital futures

Real-world Insights

The summer school included case studies examining different approaches to digital infrastructure:

1. Microsoft 365 in the Netherlands - Exploring how global technology companies operate, and how economic value and jobs are distributed

2. Revolut in London - Understanding how startups interact with digital infrastructure and the economic capture by cloud providers

3. Regional Digital Ecosystem - A positive example of how regional digital infrastructure can create distributed economic value and jobs

Participants also visited a large-scale (20 MW) data center facility near Schiphol to gain practical insights into digital infrastructure operations.

Building a Network for Continued Collaboration

Beyond the immediate outcomes, the summer school established a network of European policymakers who can continue to exchange knowledge and collaborate on policy approaches. This foundation will support ongoing work toward a European guideline for regulations on data centers and digital infrastructure.

Outcomes and Next Steps

Participants left with:

• A deeper understanding of digital infrastructure's role in the broader digital economy

• Tools to assess their region's digital maturity and develop tailored approaches

• A co-created framework for policy development

• Connections to peers across Europe facing similar challenges

The SDIA continues to serve as a platform for knowledge exchange, providing trustworthy information and analysis that governments and civil servants can rely on to shape policies for sustainable digital ecosystems.

Would you like to learn more?

For regions looking to develop their own approach to sustainable digital infrastructure, the SDIA offers consulting services, policy tools, and a platform for knowledge exchange. Reach out to us to explore how these insights can be applied to your region.