Data Centre Regulation

• Published date: 12 February 2026
• Law Firm: SANDS Advokatfirma
• Author: Ingvild R'v and Alf 'ystein Skudal

On 1 January 2025, the Norwegian Government adopted a new regulation on data centres. Until that point, there had been no comprehensive regulatory framework governing data centre operations in Norway, despite data centres becoming an increasingly important part of the digital infrastructure.

The Data Centre Regulation has changed how data centre operations must be established, documented, secured, and supervised in practice, and it has had significant practical implications. Among other things, it has provided the authorities with a complete overview of all data centres in Norway, strengthened security and preparedness, clarified the regulatory framework for investors and municipalities, and improved the ability to regulate power consumption and cryptocurrency mining.

The Government's data centre strategy, published on 27 June 2025, states that the data centre sector is considered critical digital infrastructure, further sharpening the focus on data centres. Below is an overview of the main content of the regulation and the practical implications it has for both new and existing actors in the industry.

What Is a Data Centre?

A data centre is a facility, part of a facility, or a group of facilities used to house, connect, and operate IT and network equipment for data storage, data processing, or data transmission, and related activities. This may range from a small room with a few server racks to enormous halls containing hundreds of cabinets.

Data centres are important because they enable the storage of vast amounts of data, the operation of applications and websites, data analytics...