Europe’s growth agenda aims to reduce strategic dependencies, develop a joint plan for decarbonisation and competitiveness, and close the innovation gap. For Ireland, one of the bloc’s most technology-intensive markets, this already presents a clear opportunity to shape the strategic direction of European digital policy. However, as the current holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, it has an even stronger mandate to influence how those objectives are reconciled and achieved.

Advocacy for increased investment in technology is an important part of the strategy, but Ireland is also well placed to define the conditions under which that investment can succeed. At this year’s Amgen Irish Open, our Smart Series convened figures from across the industry to discuss Ireland’s digital opportunity. 

The Missing Link in Europe’s Digital Strategy

Europe’s digital ambition is well known but the reality of its growth agenda is increasingly physical. The European Commission has stated its desire to triple EU data centre capacity over the next five to seven years, a goal constrained by a whole host of policy roadblocks and physical infrastructure requirements, from permitting and local cooperation to energy, land, and water demands.  

The crux of the challenge is in reconciling the digital and physical aspects of the growth agenda. Every AI model, cloud platform and digital service ultimately depends on physical infrastructure, from data centres and energy networks to transport corridors and logistics facilities. For Europe to build the digital resilience it needs, policymakers need to think beyond digital infrastructure, and Ireland’s Presidency is well placed to advocate for these demands.

Connecting Digital, Energy and Trade Networks

Ireland does not just have the policy platform to advocate for this change, but one of the strongest experiences of any member state of how strong digital growth can run into conflict with infrastructure demands. In 2025, data centres consumed 23% of Ireland’s metered electricity, up from just 5% in 2015. Domestic Irish policy has confronted this fact, with the Large Energy User Action (LEAP) setting 17 clear actions for ensuring data centres are developed with the renewable energy supply required to power them. LEAP presents a blueprint to take to the rest of the continent, ensuring that the physical infrastructure needed to drive digital growth is not designed in silos. 

Other member states have put the building blocks of integrated infrastructure planning in place. At our data-centre distribution hubs in the Netherlands, we provide inbound and outbound transport and decommissioning for servers and components through close proximity to integrated trade infrastructure.  

The same challenges are present throughout the critical infrastructure that underpins the supply chain. To realise Europe's digital ambitions, physical connectivity across inland transport networks, warehousing and logistics is essential. Behind every new data centre sits a complex supply chain of construction materials, power equipment, cooling systems and high-value technology components that must arrive in precisely coordinated sequences. 

Open Trade, Stronger Digital Supply Chains

While Europe is working to reduce its dependence on foreign technology and strengthen its digital capabilities, its digital economy remains closely connected to global supply chains. For instance, Europe’s share of the global semiconductor value chain has fallen to 10% in recent years. Ireland’s EU Presidency has recognised this reality, calling for 'digital sovereignty in an open manner' as it seeks to encourage Europe to build competitiveness and security through its global connections, not in spite of them.

Optionality is at the heart of building resilience, whether through diversified sourcing, additional trade routes or alternative logistics pathways when disruption occurs. Our World Without Logistics Technology report identifies the technology sector as one of the most exposed to disruption in the face of delays or crises, with over 16,000 disruptions and over $16 billion of lost revenue each year. Semiconductors, servers and other mission-critical technology equipment have global supply chains and component ecosystems, and Europe’s competitiveness in the space depends on secure and diversified access to those environments.

Our services are integrated into the supply chains of five of the world’s seven largest technology companies, keeping high-value, time-critical technology moving across global networks where reliability is everything. More than ever before, reliability and resilience are the key factors these organisations seek in their logistics.

The Competitive Value of a Connected Infrastructure 

With the right planning conditions in place, future investment could increasingly be funnelled towards locations that combine renewable energy generation, land availability, multimodal connections and digital connectivity.

The commercial benefits of connecting those elements can be significant. For a major data centre customer, we introduced a bespoke control tower and dedicated white-glove transport solution which improved handling, visibility and lead times while reducing transport costs by 30%.

That experience illustrates a broader point for policymakers, as infrastructure does not create its full economic value simply by existing. Its value comes from linking technology facilities to energy, connecting production and warehousing to inland networks, and connecting those networks to ports and international markets. Creating those conditions can make individual investments more resilient while strengthening the competitiveness of the wider locations and regions around them.

A Scalable Model for European Growth

Ireland's EU Presidency has only a few months to run, but the policy opportunity has far longer. The infrastructure decisions Europe is making today will shape its competitiveness for decades.

For Ireland, the opportunity is to use its presidential platform to advance a model of technology growth that connects digital ambition with clean energy, resilient global supply chains and the physical infrastructure needed to make investment work. If successful, it could provide a blueprint for Europe's digital future.

The conversation at this year’s Amgen Irish Open travelled far beyond technology alone. If Europe is to become a global leader in AI and digital innovation, trade infrastructure must be part of the discussion from the outset, ensuring future digital investment is supported by the energy, connectivity and supply chain capabilities required to scale.

Read our full World Without Logistics Technology Report.