In brief: The EU aims to encourage households to use electricity during off-peak hours via smart meters to free up capacity for energy-intensive AI infrastructure.
The European Commission announces a new regulation to roll out smart electricity meters across the board. The background is the exploding electricity demand from AI data centers, which are expected to double consumption by 2028.
The European Commission plans to introduce legislation this year to accelerate the deployment of smart electricity meters. These devices enable consumers to flexibly manage their electricity consumption and shift usage to times with lower prices, which should reduce electricity bills.
Data centers currently require 2.5 percent of the EU’s electricity consumption. According to the European Commission, demand will more than double over the next four years. The power grid faces additional pressure from accelerated electrification of transport and heating, as well as from hydrogen electrolyzers and electric arc furnaces in industry. Smart meters are intended to enable better utilization of existing networks through dynamic load distribution and reduce renewable energy curtailment.
The package of measures is part of the “Strategic Roadmap for Digitalization and AI in the Energy Sector,” which the Commission published as part of its EU Technology Sovereignty package. In addition to smart meter legislation, the roadmap includes seven flagship measures: a voluntary agreement between data centers, energy providers, and authorities on the sustainable integration of data centers, a new EU framework for cross-border energy data exchange, and annual progress monitoring. The Horizon Europe research program provides 75 million euros for developing energy-efficient AI strategies.
At the same time, the Commission stepped back from earlier plans: binding energy efficiency standards for data centers by 2030 will not be pursued. A labeling system for data center sustainability is expected later in the summer, rather than being available now as originally planned.
Source: www.politico.eu · Published 3 June 2026
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