An "independent" report on the value of data centres to Ireland was substantially rewritten after the Department of Enterprise pressed KPMG, its authors, to "present a strong narrative" supporting the sector's expansion, according to documents obtained by the Irish Daily Mail. The revelation, based on Freedom of Information records released to Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty, raises questions about the independence of the €100,000 report and undermines the Government's use of such research to justify policy decisions, including further data centre development.

The draft, submitted on 17 November 2025, had flagged concerns including pressure on the electricity grid, doubts over whether incentives might work better elsewhere, and the impact of large sites on farming and conservation land, alongside noting data centres used 22% of national electricity in 2024, rising to a predicted 33% by 2030. Correspondence shows officials repeatedly pushed for changes, and by 11 December told KPMG the executive summary still needed to better support continued expansion beyond 2030; these critical points were softened or removed from the final executive summary, while sections on economic benefits, including €15billion invested to date and up to €10billion more planned, remained prominent. Minister Peter Burke later cited the report as evidence data centres are "critical" infrastructure, while the department and KPMG both described the steering group process as "normal" or "standard practice."