A new UN University study ranks Hong Kong among the world's top 20 data centre hubs but finds its data centres have a carbon footprint 43% above the global average. The report links this to Hong Kong's fossil-fuel-heavy power grid, which is 67% fossil fuels, with only 1% renewables. Every kilowatt-hour used to train or run AI systems also carries water and land footprints from cooling and energy infrastructure. Hong Kong plans to grow from 61 data centres to 81 by 2030, including the Sandy Ridge supercomputing hub. Officials say new mega data centres will need to meet a PUE (power usage effectiveness) cap of 1.25, but existing centres are unlikely to comply soon due to the city's warm, humid climate. The study calls for disclosure standards covering carbon, water, and land footprints so investors can vet projects before funding.
