Italy passes unified data‑center law as Microsoft reports higher AI emissions

The Italian parliament approved Decree‑Law 21/2026, known as the “Decreto Bollette,” which establishes a single, time‑bound authorisation procedure for data‑center projects and creates a service conference to integrate environmental, landscape and network‑connection assessments. The text, passed by the Chamber and awaiting Senate review, delegates comprehensive regulation of data‑center siting to the government. Meanwhile, the Lombardy region introduced its own law setting power‑based thresholds, heat‑recovery audit requirements and social‑equity contributions for data‑center installations, highlighting the tension between national uniformity and regional autonomy.

In the United States, Microsoft disclosed that its carbon footprint rose to 20 million metric tonnes of CO₂‑equivalent in 2025, a 25 % increase from the previous year, driven largely by the construction of new data centres to support artificial‑intelligence workloads. The surge challenges the company’s pledge to become carbon‑negative by 2030. Microsoft cited a recent agreement with Chevron to power a Texas facility with natural gas, underscoring the difficulty of reconciling rapid AI‑driven demand with renewable‑energy commitments.