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Types of data center
There are three types of data centers: enterprise, colocation, and hyperscale. Hyperscale data centers represent data storage on a gigantic scale - they are usually defined to contain at least 5,000 servers and occupy huge amounts of physical space. Leading hyperscalers racing to make the most of AI's boom include Microsoft, Meta, Google, and Amazon. All of these players have been proactive in making data centers more sustainable. Over the past two decades, significant improvements have been made in the energy efficiency of cooling systems for data centers. Additionally, these data center hyperscalers have been leading supporters of novel renewable energy projects and emerging carbon dioxide removal technologies. As sustainability remains a key corporate priority for hyperscalers, there are many lessons to be learned about green data center solutions.
The need for sustainability
IDTechEx's report covers the specific areas within data centers that require sustainable technologies to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and increase circularity and recyclability. Decarbonizing power generation could be achieved by employing renewable energy sources including solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, fuel cells, and batteries and energy storage, all of which are included within the report. Another area ripe for impactful decarbonization is low-carbon construction using green concrete technologies. Also, carbon dioxide removal technologies that generate carbon credits can provide a CO2 offsetting solution for hard-to-abate indirect supply chain emissions.
Motivations for sustainability
Lowering both costs and emissions can be achieved with improved energy efficiency as operational costs are naturally decreased and less CO2 is produced.
Low-carbon power generation may become more appealing alongside the diminishing availability of electricity. IDTechEx reports that a lack of electricity in some regions has led to new data center construction being paused, meaning new players within the sector will need to actively begin employing means of acquiring electricity, such as through tariffs, purchasing power agreements, or microgrids. Fossil fuels are a well-established and reliable power source that, unfortunately, come with a hefty climate price tag. In recent years, wind and solar power generation projects have consistently offered lower electricity costs than fossil fuel incumbents - illustrating the economic benefits of supporting sustainable solutions.
The lack of regulation for data centers
Despite data centers currently lacking regulatory pressure to decarbonize, the rise of AI and its growing computational impact on economies means the large carbon footprints of data centers will only continue to grow. With governments wanting to reduce carbon emissions to meet net-zero by 2050 targets, regulations may emerge in the near future according to IDTechEx.
