Work

Estimating cross-border cloud computing emissions: A consumption-based approach applied to major European data center hubs

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: 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.

Source: iScience

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.116061

Authors: Ian V. Soares, Anna Furberg, Shoaib Azizi, Göran Finnveden, Masaru Yarime, Magdalena M. Klemun

Institutions: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Digital Futures, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University

Language: English

Topic: Green IT and Sustainability

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,240