Extinction Rebellion claims attempted sabotage at Amsterdam data center

Extinction Rebellion’s Dutch branch said it tried to damage an Amsterdam data center under construction by Pure Data Centres Group, a 78 MW project that local media have reported is fully occupied by Microsoft. The group said activists threw water balloons containing a corrosive mixture at the site on Thursday, while Pure DC told Dutch newspaper NRC that the incident did not affect construction and that it plans legal action.

The claimed attack puts another data point on the growing conflict around AI infrastructure in Europe: demand from cloud and AI companies is pushing large power-heavy campuses into cities and industrial zones, while local opposition is moving beyond permitting hearings and protests. The financial terms of the project and its lease have not been disclosed.

What Extinction Rebellion said it did

Extinction Rebellion said the balloons contained hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, salt and acrylic paint. The group claimed the mixture was intended to weaken concrete and speed up corrosion in steel reinforcement.

Martijn Dekker, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, linked the action to the energy demands of data centers and the AI systems they support. In the group’s statement, Dekker also accused the sector of contributing to the climate crisis and connected the protest to Israel’s killing of Palestinians.

“We must join forces and resist the anti-democratic power of this small group of the very wealthiest,” Dekker said in the statement. “Stopping the construction of this data center is a necessary step in that regard.”

The group also argued that many data centers are unnecessary because, in its view, they are largely used for AI workloads. Extinction Rebellion said AI has some useful applications, but claimed many uses displace jobs and rely on appropriated work from artists and others. Those are the group’s claims; the company has not publicly tied the facility’s intended workloads to specific AI services.

The project

Pure DC, based in the UK, is developing the Amsterdam site as three towers, each 85 meters tall. Each tower is planned to contain 26 MW of data halls, for 78 MW of total site capacity. The site has its own power substation, which is already operating, and work on the data halls began in January 2026.

Pure DC has said the facility is fully leased, but has not named the tenant. Local media, reporting on an earlier protest at the site, have said Microsoft is the sole occupant.

Amsterdam has limits on new hyperscale data centers. Dutch media reported that the project’s three-building structure allowed it to sit below the threshold that would classify it as a single hyperscale facility. That detail is likely to draw scrutiny from opponents who see the project as a workaround rather than a smaller deployment.

Impact remains unclear

Dutch media reported that Pure DC and emergency responders confirmed balloons were thrown at the site, but did not confirm what was inside them. Pure DC told NRC the incident had no effect on construction and said it would seek legal action against those responsible.

NRC also reported that Extinction Rebellion intends to carry out similar actions against other data center projects. Microsoft has not publicly commented on the reported lease or the incident.

For cloud operators and developers, the Amsterdam incident is a reminder that power procurement, zoning and public acceptance are becoming execution risks, not side issues. Data center capacity remains in short supply across major European markets, but projects tied to AI infrastructure are becoming more visible targets for climate activists and local opponents.

This story draws on original reporting from The Register.