Tidal stream energy (TSE) is an emerging renewable energy source that could make a meaningful contribution to global net zero ambitions. Compared with other renewable energy sources, a key benefit of TSE is that it is highly predictable, both in terms of the quantity and timing of its power.

This study investigates the feasibility of using TSE to meet the energy demands of data centres, which are increasingly being built to run digital services necessitated by modern society, including AI and cloud computing. A key challenge to this rapid development is that data centres require significant amounts of electricity. For example, data centres currently consume around 2.5% of the UK’s electricity and this is expected to rise four-fold by 2030. This has put additional pressure on already strained grid infrastructure. Limited grid capacity means it can take years to get permission to connect to the national grid.