In this, the first edition of Race to Zero – The path to sustainability in the Data Center of tomorrow we address some of the burning issues facing the industry and shine a beacon into the future for change.
As of 2021 Deloitte reported that “reducing plastic waste” is the number one ask of consumers to businesses today to help them become more sustainable.
Understand what consumers want and how data center leaders and sustainabilitycan get ahead of the game.
Challenge or Opportunity?
Explore some of the key elements that datacenter leaders should already have implemented or be well on their way to deploying within their own environments or demanding from their Co-Location providers.
Explore 6 practical steps all data centers should be taking on the pathway to sustainability.
Gaia Edge explore industry leading technology to actively create additional performance, availability and compute power whilst reducing carbon emissions.
As we head into what the UN has declared the “decade of action” more than any period in history technology is accelerating at lightning speed, in the data center environment that means the advent of both new solutions and the availability of solutions previously unviable for commercial use.
The commercial prize for those that finish the Race to Zero is abundant with clear financial and stakeholder benefits.
Join Gaia Edge as we explore the ways, options and advantages to getting ahead of the Race to Zero.
Understand the data center of the future and how organisations are aligning performance, availability and connectivity with both corporate objectives and crucially with the long term sustainability needs of our planet.
Data demands, latency needs, connectivity requests and storage requirements are growing rapidly, whilst advances in technology are always in the headlines the relationship between the power houses of our digital economy, our Data Centers, and the environment is a relatively quiet subject. Sustainable Data Centers and more environmentally friendly, Carbon Neutral Data Centers are gathering pace with early adopters already staking their claims but in the Race to Zero organisations cannot be left behind. New devices, technologies and increased data speeds are always being developed in order to keep us connected at scale to our Data Centers, whether on prem, white space, co-lo or at the edge. Connectivity is the backbone of our global infrastructure, and every day our appetite for it grows, presenting an opportunity for organisations to satisfy the demands of consumers and business customers but also creating a threat to our planet with the energy, water and waste used by and created by our Data Centers.
The Data Center industry is huge and is growing at a rapid pace. According to Aritzon, the industry is set to be worth $251 billion by 2026 and that’s just the large providers, it doesn’t include the majority of on-premise facilities. It’s great news for the broad industry, however Data Centers are currently consuming 205 TWh of electricity, emitting as much carbon as the airline industry, and with the advances in global connectivity, data and technology continuing, this is expected to increase to between 1030 TWh and 8000 TWh by the end of the decade according to Andrae, Anders & Edler, Tomas. Global power usage for Data Centers alone, not withstanding transmission networks or ICT production, is estimated at around 1% and in the UK alone, Data Centers (including on-prem scenarios) is thought to account for around 12% of all electricity generated in the UK according to UK Energy Research Centre. With the demands on digital and technology leaders increasing, this number is expected to rise.
Sustainability – yes, we all want better, faster and of course in most cases more cost effective, to deliver more for our businesses our clients and our investors. But our planet is in fundamentally in trouble, greenhouse gases and dangerous levels of carbon emissions are causing global warming and as a result, catastrophic events are on the rise. Floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and other climate related events are devastating communities around the world. Governments and businesses need to act fast to not only slow down global warming, but to undo the damage that has already been done. This is a huge feat for anyone, but it is not entirely unachievable.
In 2015, the Paris Climate Agreement was introduced with over 200 countries signing up. This agreement, amongst many other key points, aims to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels with countries aiming to reach global emissions of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible. The PCA did not highlight Data Centers and many countries and global leaders looked towards high fossil fuel industries to make sweeping regulatory changes, but Data Centers could and should be paying particular attention to new and increased attention on the industry, even smaller on-premise server rooms and racks may be in the spotlight should new potential regulations come into force.
Going one step further, the EU introduced the European Green Deal in December 2019, its own ‘moonshot’ target of becoming the first continent to be completely carbon neutral by 2050 whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, this in itself forging many initiatives, with perhaps one of the most notable to our industry being the ‘Climate Neutral Data Center Pact’.
The pact, backed by leading industry organisations such as Google, Microsoft, and NTT, is a pledge from all industry leaders who have agreed to become carbon neutral by 2030 with metrics to be certified by an independent auditor. As ever this initiative is aimed at “operators” but the emphasis on potential regulation for all Data Centers or Server rooms with a potential IT Power demand capacity of 50kw or higher may mean that organisations in any sector will need to consider Sustainable Data Centers in the short term future, if not in the interest of reducing their carbon footprint or reducing energy costs but potential to comply with legal requirements.
However, this poses huge challenges for our Data Centers, especially those that aim for Sustainability, in order to keep up with the growing digital economy whilst simultaneously achieving carbon neutrality, Data Center leaders need to make significant changes to how they are operating and the technologies they are using if they are to create more efficient, cost effective and high performing sustainable Data Centers.
There are fundamental steps that leaders can and should be implementing within their own environments. From modularization, right sizing and virtualization to Data Center infrastructure management (DCIM) and more efficient methods for cooling and fire management. One of the biggest power consumers for a Data Center is not powering the center itself, but more the cooling technology used. In some cases, this accounts for 30-50% of all Data Center power usage and therefore alternative methods, such as immersive cooling should be a priority.
And whilst new technologies and more efficient Data Centers are being built, and should certainly be a consideration for the future, business leaders need to fully understand their own environments and their requirements in depth. There are already fundamental steps that Data Center leaders should be taking in their current environments as pressure mounts to become a more sustainable operation whilst improving performance and managing costs.
What is it you’re trying to achieve? These objectives should be aligned across the business. In order to meet these objectives, organisations will need to engage the right people whilst building a solid case for change
Understanding your current Data Center landscape will be critical on your race to zero. Simply blending legacy estates with newer, more efficient technology will not always result in a positive change. To prevent an inefficient and poorly performing Data Center, it is critical to understand the real-world inventory in order to identify opportunities for change.
Setting your business real but ambitious targets to achieve your race to zero goals is crucial in helping to manage the process successfully.
Map out what your journey looks like, set your business signposts, steps and phases that will guide you throughout the process.
Use your defined targets, programs, and objectives to act swiftly to identify possible locations, technologies, and providers to actively create additional performance, availability and computer power whilst reducing carbon emissions.
Keeping track of your progress, carbon reductions and cost savings, whilst continuously improving to become a better, more efficient, and sustainable Data Center.
We are seeing more focus on sustainability in businesses with the introduction of the EU Green Deal and the Climate Neutral Data Center pact, but in order for businesses to really commit to the race to zero, there needs to be some real accountability. Up until now, the Data Center industry has been entirely self-regulatory when it comes to sustainability, but Data Center leaders both at operator and within public and private sector might want to get ahead of the game.
The Climate Neutral Data Center Pact, recently proposed a series of recommendations to the EU directly, requiring organisations to be certified by an independent auditor to ensure genuine Climate Neutrality. It’s easy for businesses to claim that they are carbon neutral so we welcome the news that in future, evidence will need to be provided in order to prove that they are.
In order to meet these Targets, businesses will need to adhere to the goals set out within the pact including, ““By January 1, 2025, new data centres operating at full capacity in cool climates will meet an annual PUE target of 1.3, and 1.4 for new data centres operating at full capacity in warm climates.”, however this goal is extended to 2030 for older facilities giving them more of a time to implement positive changes. Other goals include clean Energy quotas and % goals for WUE measures, Heat/ Power recovery and setting targets within a circular economy framework – recycling, repairing, and reusing components and equipment to a standard and % agreed by the group. All of these goals apply to any Data Center or server room with a potential IT Power demand capacity of 50kw or higher.
The race to zero has more benefits than simply achieving carbon neutrality. And yes, whilst improving the impact your business is having on the environment is a core objective for many if not all organisations, there are also commercial benefits. Such as:
Enhanced credibility and brand reputation
The ability to drive innovation and create competitive advantage
Increased resilience given likely future regulation
Increased investor confidence
Reduce Carbon Emissions
Reduce Energy Use (and costs)
Improve Efficiency & PUE
Improve compute performance
We know that progress and sustainability must go hand in hand. Gaia Edge designs and builds sustainable Data Centers, supporting organisations by driving measurable performance whilst reducing environmental impact. We do this by disrupting the existing processes of Data Center design and build, challenging the norm, sourcing innovative and emerging tech that can deliver performance and efficiencies for all, enabling corporate and social responsibility.
If you’re ready to start your own Race to Zero and transform to a more Sustainable Data Center then Gaia Edge are ready to help you achieve your goals.
Gaia Edge help organisations to become more sustainable every day, if you’re starting your own Race to Zero get in touch or request a Data Center Sustainability Audit today.
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