Switzerland's rapidly expanding data center industry is benefiting from a federal subsidy scheme that allows major electricity consumers to reclaim a renewable-energy levy of 2.3 Swiss centimes per kilowatt-hour — a rebate that returned approximately 1.7 million francs to eight large data center operators in 2023 alone, including Switzerland-based Green Group and U.S. firms Digital Realty and Equinix. The arrangement, originally designed to protect traditional heavy industries such as paper mills and aluminum smelters from high energy costs, is now fueling political controversy as Switzerland — which already hosts one of the world's highest densities of data centers, with up to 120 facilities — faces mounting pressure on its electricity grid. Lawmakers from across the political spectrum are calling for the subsidy to be reviewed, arguing that a booming tech sector should not be exempt from contributing to the infrastructure costs it is helping to drive, with projections suggesting data centers could account for up to 10 percent of Switzerland's total electricity consumption by 2030.