Data centers have experienced a dramatic increase in demand as a result of accelerated digital transformation during the pandemic. While remote work, video calls, and other data-intensive practices were steadily increasing prior to the 2020 health crisis, COVID-19 kicked things into overdrive. At the same time, the impending global environmental catastrophe has everyone reevaluating their carbon footprints, water usage, and other consumption habits. Data centers have massive resource requirements, making them prime targets for improvements in sustainability. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to build a more sustainable — or even carbon-neutral — data center.
For starters, the environmental impact of new construction must be considered when evaluating sustainable data centers. Low-carbon approaches can result in 13% less carbon when building a new data center as compared to traditional methods. But, the real environmental impact happens when you don’t build a new data center at all and, instead, reuse an existing facility. It’s estimated that this can save 78% of the carbon emissions of building a new facility.