1 Foreword
Norway aims to be the most digitalised country in the world by 2030. Not because digitalisation itself is so important, but because digitalisation is the tool we need to solve some of the biggest challenges facing society. Norway aims to further develop the welfare state and ensure good welfare services for all, while managing a smaller workforce of working age, which is why we need to create more in the years ahead.
The Støre Government regards data centres as critical digital infrastructure. The Government has, for the first time, taken on responsibility for the regulation of the data centre industry. By 1 July 2025, all data centres exceeding 500 kW must register, and the Government is setting requirements for their security and preparedness. In this strategy, we clarify requirements for security, better utilisation of excess heat, and measures to limit the mining of cryptocurrency. The Government wants to facilitate storage of Norwegian data on Norwegian soil, and provide the authorities with better oversight and control of the data centre industry.
Everything we store in the cloud at any given time ends up in a physical data centre that requires space, power, technology and labour. Each of us interacts with at least 40 data centres a day. For private individuals, this means that holiday photos, emails, tax returns, diplomas, and health records are stored in data centres. For businesses, it involves storing purchase histories, orders, employment information, trade secrets, and strategies, among other things. The development and use of AI and other enabling digital technologies, whether in the public sector, businesses, or among the general population, also require data to be organised, processed, and stored somewhere. This is precisely why we rely on data centres in Norway, as all sectors and society as a whole heavily depend on technology.
When discussing data centres, we should therefore consider value creation and security. This is precisely what this strategy addresses. The Labour Party Government believes that the data centre industry represents modern industrial development, and that data centres in Norway shall contribute to socioeconomic beneficial purposes through secure and robust digital communication, jobs, and business development with technology. It is an industry with great growth potential, an industry we need, an industry that must be regulated, and an industry that can lead the way for greener technology development.
Data centres are the heart of the digital infrastructure, and the need for data storage and processing capacity is constantly growing. I hope this strategy will contribute to greater knowledge about the data centre industry and motivate the industry to make future-oriented choices. Enjoy reading, whether you read it in print or online, where it in practice is downloaded from a data centre.
Karianne O. Tung
Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance