GREEN INTELLIGENCE

Insights into the growing energy demands of data centers and the essential sustainable solutions available to address them

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Digital solutions enable industries to monitor, optimise operations, and enhance energy efficiency. Consequently, digitalisation often accelerates the journey towards lower carbon emissions by providing the necessary tools and data to drive sustainable practices.

However, the situation regarding data centres is more complex. While they are central to the digital economy-enabling cloud computing, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence-they are also energy-intensive.

Unlike other industries where digitalisation helps reduce emissions, data centres can, paradoxically, contribute to higher carbon emissions if not managed sustainably. With energy consumption closely tied to carbon emissions, data centre sustainability is under scrutiny unless renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies are implemented.

GROWING DEMAND FOR DATA CENTRES

From 2015 to 2029, global internet users are expected to grow from around three billon to over 7.9 billion. Currently, approximately 66% of the world's population has internet access. Alongside this expansion in user base is a rapid acceleration in digitally driven services. E-commerce, cloud computing, autonomous vehicles, and crypto mining (especially proof-of-work cryptocurrencies) have intensified the need for data centres. Cambridge University researchers have built an index estimating power demand and annualised electricity consumption for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. The world's most common cryptocurrency consumes an estimated 148 TWh per year-equivalent to 0.6% of the world's electricity-more than many countries. Similarly, autonomous vehicles produce substantial data, with lower-end estimates around 300TB per year.