EMILDAI is pleased to highlight the research project “Governing Data Centres in the EU” (GDC), an innovative initiative led professors and researchers (see profiles below) involved with EMILDAI and the EPILDAI network, in collaboration with international partners.

The project aims to establish a new Irish–French research partnership focused on developing an EU-level observatory on data centre governance. In an increasingly complex geopolitical context, data centres have become a critical infrastructure underpinning Europe’s digital economy, supporting key sectors such as healthcare, defence, and public administration.

Funding entities:

At the same time, their rapid expansion raises pressing challenges related to digital sovereignty, energy security, and environmental sustainability. Despite their importance, the governance of data centres across the European Union remains fragmented, with no fully harmonised legal or policy framework in place.

The GDC project seeks to address this gap by analysing the regulatory requirements, policy approaches, and best practices governing the development and operation of data centres in Europe. Through an interdisciplinary approach combining legal and technical expertise, the project will generate evidence-based recommendations aimed at improving EU data centre governance while balancing the Union’s ambitions for strategic autonomy and its green and digital transitions.

Bringing together academic, industry, and regulatory stakeholders from Ireland and France, the project reflects the growing importance of cross-border collaboration in tackling the legal and societal implications of digital infrastructure.

This initiative further reinforces EMILDAI’s commitment to advancing research at the intersection of law, data, and artificial intelligence, and to contributing to key policy debates shaping Europe’s digital future.

Edoardo Celeste is an Associate Professor of Law, Technology and Innovation at the School of Law and Government of Dublin City University. Edoardo is the Programme Chair of the Erasmus Mundus Master in Law, Data and Artificial Intelligence (EMILDAI), the Deputy-Director of the Dublin European Law Institute (DELI), the coordinator of the DCU Law and Tech Research Cluster, and a founding member of the Digital Constitutionalism Network.

Thomas Le Goff is Assistant Professor of Law & Technology at Télécom Paris – Institut Polytechnique de Paris, where he conducts pluridisciplinary research projects on the regulation of digital technologies, cybersecurity and AI. His research focuses on the links between AI and sustainability, from a legal and public policy perspective. Thomas is also a Research Fellow at the Centre on Regulation in Europe (Brussels), where he contributes to policy debates at the intersection between digital, energy and environmental regulations.

Anna Luukka is a doctoral student examining the future of sustainable and energy‑adaptive data centers in Europe. Her research focuses on AI‑ready data centers and sustainable business model innovation at the intersection of energy systems, digital infrastructure, and policy. She conducts her PhD jointly with LUT University and Télécom Paris.

Alba Perez Victorio is a Researcher of the Law and Tech Research Cluster, where she conducts research on EU digital law and its interaction with environmental and climate issues. Alba is a PhD researcher at the European University Institute (EUI). Her doctoral research focuses on the EU energy transition, with particular attention to the deployment of renewable energy projects and their contestation by local groups and communities.