Thousands of people have staged a protest in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, against the construction of massive data centers designed to support artificial intelligence systems, APA reports, citing the BBC.
Demonstrators began their march along the city's famous Royal Mile before proceeding to the Scottish Parliament building.
The protest comes amid expanding plans to build new data centers across Scotland.
The Scottish government has announced that it will publish updated planning guidance by the end of December, covering the location of new data centers, their environmental impact and energy supply requirements.
Scotland's largest existing data center is currently a 12-megawatt facility owned by DataVita in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire.
However, a proposed data center at Chapelcross in Dumfries and Galloway could have a capacity of up to 1,000 megawatts. If completed, the facility would become one of the largest data centers in the world.
According to The Times, approximately 315 data centers across the United Kingdom are awaiting connection to the electricity grid.
The rapid expansion of data centers, particularly concerns over their energy consumption and potential environmental impact, has sparked growing public opposition in Scotland.
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