MILAN (Reuters) -Data centres around Italy’s financial capital Milan are expected to add around two gigawatts of capacity over the next five years, a tenfold increase from current levels, the Chief Executive of energy group A2A said on Friday.

The rapid expansion of data centres, needed to drive artificial intelligence, promises to boost revenues for utilities like A2A, which will supply the electricity they need.

The province of Milan currently hosts about 200 megawatts of installed data centre capacity, while the city’s peak electricity demand currently stands at 1.5 GW.

The new facilities will be connected to Italy’s high-voltage grid or directly to power plants, avoiding strain on the local distribution network managed by A2A, CEO Renato Mazzoncini said.

To meet the rising demand,

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