News item | 22-01-2024 | 08:30
The Dutch digital infrastructure is at the absolute top. But the position is also a pitfall. There is currently little priority for making new investments possible, for sufficient capacity for this on the energy grid and for physical space to successfully continue to offer digital services to companies and consumers in the future. This is evident from the State of the Digital Infrastructure that Minister Micky Adriaansens (Economic Affairs and Climate) has sent to the House of Representatives.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy has commissioned independent research for the first time – by Ecorys – to the state of affairs. Fixed and mobile internet for consumers and digital applications for companies are almost always available quickly and undisturbed in the Netherlands. The digital infrastructure sector, including telecom companies, internet nodes, data centers and cloud providers, also contributes significantly to the Dutch economy with 24.2 billion euros annually (2% of the total). Together with suppliers, they also provide around 200,000 jobs. The sector’s contribution to the digitalization of other industries and organizations is even greater.
Despite its significant economic contribution, the entire digital infrastructure takes up very little physical space (0.02% of the surface in the Netherlands) and has a limited footprint. Although the infrastructure is in intensive operation 24/7, the sector consumes less than 1% of all energy (0.65%) according to the study.
Minister Micky Adriaansens (Economic Affairs and Climate): “We are only at the beginning of unprecedented digital developments in SMEs, in industrial production and at home as consumers. Smart autonomous devices and machines, artificial intelligence, better access to and use of data and quantum internet. These are just a few examples that will soon require a more than excellent infrastructure.”
The minister continues: “So there is still sufficient quality and capacity in the Netherlands. However, the research also shows that we do not want to give it much priority, while companies and consumers cannot do without it. At the same time, other countries within and outside Europe are accelerating their digitalization. That is why we must invest more in the digital infrastructure in the Netherlands to continue to improve and make it more sustainable.”