Norwegian TikTok center trims power aiding Ukrainian munitions.

The head of Nammo, a Norwegian manufacturing company, asserts that the energy requirements of the nearby data center are hindering their efforts to expand production at their largest facility.

A prominent European ammunition manufacturer has encountered challenges in meeting the heightened demand for its products arising from the conflict in Ukraine. The primary obstacle is linked to a newly established TikTok data center, which is monopolizing electricity in the vicinity of the company’s largest factory. Nammo, co-owned by the Norwegian government, had aspirations to expand its central Norway facility but faced setbacks due to a shortage of available energy caused by the construction of the data center. Morten Brandtzæg, Nammo’s CEO, voiced concerns about the impact of prioritizing the storage of cat videos on the company’s future growth prospects in an interview with the Financial Times.

Brandtzæg highlighted that the demand for artillery rounds is currently 15 times higher than usual, and the European munitions industry needs to invest €2 billion in new factories to meet the urgent requirements in Ukraine. With the country utilizing 6,000 to 7,000 artillery shells daily and grappling with ammunition shortages amid the ongoing war, the European Union has initiated a reimbursement program. This program supports countries providing artillery ammunition to Ukraine from a €1 billion fund, with an additional €1 billion allocated to augment ammunition manufacturing capacity across the bloc.

Nammo initially intended to expand its primary manufacturing facility, but TikTok’s endeavors to enhance its reputation have seemingly posed complications. TikTok is presently contending with bans in multiple countries and opposing a proposed national ban in the United States. Notably, the UK government, European Commission, and European Parliament have prohibited TikTok on staff phones due to concerns regarding potential data harvesting by the Chinese government. TikTok has admitted that certain employees in China could access European user data, acknowledging the use of its app to surveil journalists for leak tracking. Despite this, the company’s CEO asserted in a recent congressional hearing that TikTok operates independently from the Chinese government, denying access to its data by Chinese authorities.

TikTok has been approached for a comment.

Tech and social media firms managing expansive data storage facilities are presently facing scrutiny owing to the substantial energy needed to operate and cool the servers housing customers’ data, including photos and videos. The European Commission anticipates that by 2030, data centers will account for 3.2% of the electricity demand in the bloc, marking an 18.5% rise from the levels recorded in 2018.