Developing future-proof green data centres & balancing energy efficiency with surging demand
At?Data Centre Magazine ?we have created a digital community for execs to share their products, learnings and achievements. Our LinkedIn Newsletter brings this month's most influential projects, leaders insights and topics to the forefront.
Developing future-proof green data centres - balancing energy efficiency with surging demand
It’s no secret that the world’s data demands are rising. Fuelled by our increasingly digital world, the global need for data centres is accelerating at an exceptional pace.?
But, despite the evident need for their services, data centres are coming under heavy scrutiny, particularly amid a worldwide energy crisis. But it’s hardly surprising that data centres have been under the spotlight - the sector has faced widespread sustainability criticism, particularly after it was revealed that data centres currently account for around 1-1.5% of global electricity use.
What’s more, the pressure that is being placed on data centres shows no signs of waning. It’s almost certain that this #energyconsumption will grow considerably over time, due to the current pace of digitisation and automation amongst global industries.
Some reports predict that data centre energy usage will quadruple by 2030. One particularly headline-grabbing statistic is that, unless renewable energy usage increases, data centres could soon create more emissions than the entire aviation industry combined (which currently accounts for 2% of the world’s CO2 emissions). We delved into the urgency of sustainable cooling methods and recycling heat in data centres in our last LinkedIn Newsletter .?
Data centres are already on the road towards optimised energy consumption?
This growth has placed the need for #greenenergy at the top of the industry’s priority list and, despite bad press, the reality is that progressive data centre owners are constantly evolving best practices, improving energy management operations, investing in renewing infrastructure, and redesigning power chains in the search for ever-greater energy efficiencies.?
Utilising partnerships and associated groups are key
The NTT Anode Energy Corporation believes that hydrogen is an important part of the clean energy mix, and that using existing pipeline infrastructure could be possible. So, to investigate this, NTT has entered into a joint research and development project with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NAIST) and Toyota Tsusho to study safety measures.
Work is well underway to implement the technologies needed to support these opportunities, too. For example, banks of lithium-ion batteries connected to a UPS in a 微软 data centre in Dublin will provide backup power in the event of an outage.
There are, of course, also global power supply and management companies for data centres to consider. Leading the way in these services include 华为 , 卡特彼勒 西门子 , 阿西布朗勃法瑞公司（ABB） , Vertiv and 伊顿 .?
Data centre efficiency groups like NTT help leaders become certified as a green data centre, inspiring generations to come. For example, Green is a part of the Swiss Data Centre Association and uses the platform to share knowledge, build on ideas and help #hyperscalers improve their architecture. Other associations to take note of are:
Talking with Green in our latest Magazine , Roger Sueess explains that taking a holistic approach to achieving sustainability is key. Thanks to its proactive approach, Green has set sustainability as its key differentiator, and a priority that marks it out from its competitors.
Meet Roger Sueess, the CEO of Green, and learn more about how he is cultivating world-class #greendatacenters in Switzerland and beyond.
Top news stories
New World Record set for largest solar-powered data centre
Moro Hub ’s data centre (a subsidiary of Digital DEWA Official ) has just been awarded the status of the world’s largest solar-powered data centre by Guinness World Records and is 16,031.925 m2, in Dubai.?
aNorth selects Nokia IP platforms for data centre expansion
atNorth announced that it has chosen the high performance and energy efficient 诺基亚 IP platforms to connect and expand its Nordic data centre portfolio. The #HPC and #AI services that atNorth deploys support the toughest and most demanding workloads, and provide up to 100% more compute than any other solution.
The energy efficiency and state-of-the-art design of the solution were critical factors for atNorth, particularly given its prioritisation of sustainable high-performance computing initiatives.
How are edge data centres improving their efficiencies?
#Edgedatacenters are becoming an increasingly deployed solution, helping to lay the necessary infrastructure for futuristic technologies like the cloud, #5G , AI, IoT and ML.
As #edge providers navigate the dual demands of high growth and sustainability, we discuss with Tony Grayson about how edge data centres are improving their operational efficiencies.?
领英推荐
Trailblazer of the month: Carolyn Harrington, SpaceDC
Carolyn Harrington , COO of SpaceDC ?
Carolyn launched the Singapore-based data centre start-up in 2019 when the region’s data centre market was just on the cusp of a rapid period of growth.?
In the three years since its foundation, she has built up SpaceDC’s brand reputation – to the point where it is now recognised across the industry as a sustainability pioneer, at the forefront of data centre technologies.?
"I am highly motivated by challenges. I think there is a solution to every problem. Also, there is no such thing as failure. You just end up with a different ending, which you have learnt from."
Discover: Top 10 data centres using green energy
The Top 10 data centres using green energy right now include those under the leadership of Lee Myall , Neil Cresswell , Charles Meyers (he/him) , Randy Brouckman , Marcos Vinícius B. Peigo and Jean-Pascal Tricoire .
Not to miss: Exclusive interview with...
Scala Data Centers is the leading sustainable hyperscale data centre operator in Latin America and the first data centre operator in the LATAM region to use 100%-certified renewable energy. What’s more, the company’s data centres boast a 1.5 PUE and Scala has pledged that all of its new buildings will achieve a OUE of less than 1.4 when operational.?
The powerhouse behind its success is Marcos Peigo, Scala Data Center's CEO.
Conclusion
Technology’s advancement comes hand-in-hand with growing consumer demand for sustainable solutions. Now, it’s no longer enough to offer a solution that can match users’ growth – it has to be environmentally conscious, utilise green energy, and operate in a way that is as efficient as possible.
But, the industry has made it clear that it is more than willing to take up this mantle.?
As David Watkins , Solutions Director for VIRTUS Data Centres aptly puts it, “The data centre industry has often been misunderstood by the majority of the general public, but for those of us working in the industry, the past few months have further highlighted the lack of understanding of what data centres are, how they operate and their critical importance as the digital infrastructure that underpins nearly all of modern life.”
“The truth is that the data centre industry has long been committed to ensuring sustainability and efficiency, with providers working hard to use resources including power and water responsibly. Indeed, companies in the sector are committed to innovative sustainability and renewable strategies?that include ‘green’ renewable sources of power, rainwater harvesting, zero water cooling systems, recycling, waste management and much more.”
About Data Centre Magazine
Data Centre Magazine ?is a digital media platform for you to showcase products, expertise, learnings, partnerships, and achievements with the world’s largest community of data executives. Because, as Robert Noyce famously said,
"Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied."
Do this through a magnitude of digital media such as interviews, articles, case studies, videos and webinars.?Download the Media Kit ?for more information.
Read the latest edition ?of Data Centre Magazine.
Thanks for reading
Thank you for being a part of the Data Centre Community we're building! To get industry updates like this more often, sign up to our weekly Data Centre Newsletter?here .
Helping our clients to successfully & safely transform into a digital future
1 年So important that we keep innovating and pushing the boundaries. I’m look forward to partner with our clients and our chosen vendors to break new grounds. Because, talking about digitalization, the genie is out of the bottle and it can’t go back, so we are damned to make it sustainable.
Very interesting! We at Zeropoint fully agree. With our service a data center can save up to 25% of the energi consumption. Feel free to download our white paper to see how it works. https://bit.ly/3uynQYu