Hyperscale Data Centres - Short Survey

Overview

Two Committees of the Scottish Parliament are seeking views on the impact of hyperscale data centres in Scotland.

The Climate Action Committee wants to understand the environmental impacts of potential hyperscale data centre construction and operation in Scotland. 

Learn more about the Climate Action Committee’s inquiry and its remit

The Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee is interested in understanding the potential economic and energy implications of hyperscale data centre development in Scotland. Reponses will help inform the Committee’s consideration of any future work in this area.

There are two ways to share your views: 

Short survey 

This survey is for people who wish to share their views on the implications of the construction and operation of hyperscale data centres in Scotland.   

We will publish a summary of the responses to the survey. However, we will not publish each response in full, or the names of people who responded. 

The Committees will base any assessment of public opinion on published data from opinion polls. As responses to this call for evidence will be self-selecting, they cannot be assumed to be representative of public opinion and will not be treated as such.

Questions in the Short survey

The Climate Action Committee would like to understand:

  1. When it comes to constructing and running a hyperscale data centre, which environmental issues are you most concerned about? Please rank these in order.
    • water quality and consumption 
    • air quality 
    • nature and biodiversity, including soil quality 
    • noise pollution 
    • energy use, and associated generation (including of back up generation) 
    • emissions  
    • temperature changes around hyperscale data centres 
  2. What, in your view, is the most important thing for the Committee to know about the environmental impacts of hyperscale data centre construction and operation in Scotland?
     
  3. What criteria should a hyperscale data centre meet in order to be considered “green”?

The Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee would like to understand:

  1. What, in your view, is the most important thing for the Committee to know about the economic and energy impacts of hyperscale data centre development in Scotland? 

Detailed call for evidence

This is for groups, bodies or organisations with professional and academic experience in these fields.

Please note: If we receive a very high volume of submissions, we may not have the resources to process and publish them all. 

To be published, submissions must: 

  • be relevant to the respective remits of the Committees' inquiries
  • comply with GDPR requirements  

Questions in the Detailed call for evidence

The Climate Action Committee would like to understand:

  1. What are the potential environmental impacts of the construction and operation of hyperscale data centres and opportunities to deliver environmental benefits including: 
    • water quality and consumption 
    • air quality 
    • nature and biodiversity, including soil quality 
    • noise pollution 
    • energy use and reuse, and associated generation (including of back up generation) 
    • emissions, and where emissions could be avoided by, for example, using waste heat  
    • temperature changes around hyperscale data centres 
  2. What systems are, or should be, in place to support avoidance or mitigation of negative environmental impacts?
     
  3. What can Scotland learn from other countries on the environmental impacts of hyperscale data centres? 
     
  4. How building and running hyperscale data centres in Scotland might impact on achieving climate and nature goals? 
     
  5. What criteria should a hyperscale data centre meet in order to be considered “green”? 

The Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee would like to understand:

  1. What are the potential impacts of data centre development on Scotland’s economy, including:
    • jobs 
    • investment
    • supply chains
    • tax revenues
    • attracting business to locate in Scotland
    • the extent to which any economic benefits can be retained in Scotland?
  2. What impacts could increased data centre development have on Scotland’s energy system, including: 
    • electricity demand
    • electricity generation
    • network infrastructure
    • utilisation of waste heat
    • utitlisation of curtailed renewable electricity
    • overall network balancing?
  3. What actions should be taken to ensure that the economic and energy implications of data centre development in Scotland are appropriately assessed, planned for and managed at a pace that reflects the rapid growth of AI and demand for digital infrastructure?

Answer the Detailed Call for Evidence

Analysis 

The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) will prepare a summary and analysis of responses. 

If we receive a very high volume of submissions, this may need to be prepared based on a sample of submissions.

The call for views closes at 11:59pm on 15 November 2026.

Submit your views

Complete the Short Survey

Closes 15 Nov 2026

Opened 7 Oct 2026

Contact

Climate Action Committee

climateaction.committee@parliament.scot