Organisations across the globe have shifted to specialist data centres facilities to look after their computing power. But by externalising the work, there is a risk of promoting a mirage that the environmental impact of digital technologies is immaterial. We must be clear; these technologies require valuable physical and energy resources. Collaboration and transparency is needed to manage their effective deployment.
Against a backdrop of a 1.3% annual increase in global GHG emissions, data centres account for approximately 4% of the electricity in Europe. In the UK, that level of demand is projected to increase four-fold by 2030.
That is a steep acceleration, driving pressure on energy systems and material supply chains.
Getting smart about putting limited resources to best use means developing a much more nuanced understanding about the myriad of stakeholders who have an influence. These parties are important in not only quantifying factors like energy use, but also understanding the strategies that make the biggest positive difference.
Obviously, data centre operators loom large in the management of energy. Anything we can do to reduce the impact of facilities is welcome news. This would cover siting and construction strategies, design, power procurement, as well as optimising energy consumption via efficient cooling and power systems.
But the bulk of the energy delivered is the power that feeds the technologies in the racks.
The individuals or organisations who use technology are best placed to determine its usefulness. Paradoxically, at the same time they are most removed from understanding the environmental impacts and resource-intensity that the technology requires.
This gap is not conducive to smart decision-making and there are other factors to complicate matters. Between data centre and end user, typically sit IT departments and organisations selling technology services, software designers, network providers and hardware manufacturers.
Clarity on the resource demand that each of these parties can influence, as well as the value that their process delivers, is a prerequisite to improving resource effectiveness, and thereby environmental performance.
Of course, this means we have to educate each other and collaborate. Amongst the various parties that would be involved, data centre operators need to be prepared to play a key part.
As an industry, we are in a unique position to advocate realistic messages about what does – and does not – make the biggest impacts on energy consumption and other aspects of sustainability. As data centres begin to take a much more prominent role in public discussion around energy and business, this is the nettle we must grasp.