Data Centres and a Future Shaped by AI: What Are the Externalized Costs?
AI is transforming our world — from everyday life and public services to business and scientific discovery.
But behind every AI breakthrough lies a physical infrastructure with real consequences for our energy systems, water resources, land use, materials, communities, and long-term sustainability.
Who bears the true costs of the AI revolution? And how can we make better decisions about the infrastructure that powers it?
On 6 November 2026, Regenerative Labs Foundation (member of NICCT) invites you to join them in Utrecht for a one-day conference exploring these critical questions.
In collaboration with the Dutch Data Centre Association, they are bringing together leaders and specialists from AI, banking and investment, data centres, government, research, sustainability, circularity, and regenerative practice.
Regenerative Labs Foundation in collaboration with the Dutch Data Centre Association will explore:
* The externalized costs of AI and data centre infrastructure;
* How systems thinking and modelling can improve decision-making;
* The implications for energy, water, public infrastructure, and communities;
* Who pays, who benefits, and who decides?;
* How multidisciplinary collaboration can turn concerns into practical, testable projects.
This is more than a conference. It is an opportunity to connect perspectives, challenge assumptions, and explore how we can shape a future where technological innovation creates value for both society and nature.
📅 Date: 6 November 2026
🕘 Time: 09:30–17:00
📍 Location: ABN AMRO, Beneluxlaan 1010, Tivoli 1–2, Utrecht
🗣 Language: English
💶 Registration: €100
Featuring a keynote and audience dialogue with Professor Emeritus Jaap van den Herik, interactive systems sessions, multidisciplinary discussions, and collaborative workshops.
🔗 Explore the programme and register here: https://regenerativelabs.org/events/data-centers
Regenerative Labs Foundation warmly invites senior leaders, researchers, policymakers, innovators, and professionals who are ready to contribute to this important conversation.
Let's move beyond the question of what AI can do — and start asking what it should cost, who should carry those costs, and how we can design better systems together.