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According to a report by the International Energy Agency, data centers account for about 1% of global electricity demand. The report notes that the industry was able to limit the impact of capacity growth on total energy consumption prior to 2020 by improving operating efficiency. However, in 2020, global internet traffic surged by more than 40%, and Market Intelligence projects a 13% compound annual growth rate in data center construction over the next five years. That trend, combined with increased focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, has led some operators to seek new solutions that increase equipment utilization and drive out remaining inefficiencies, phase out water-intensive cooling technologies, and decrease their dependence on carbon-based energy sources.

The industry movement has been led by large hyperscale operators who have set goals to become carbon neutral or carbon negative by the end of this decade. These operators are taking the lead in advancing technologies that support these goals and developing a roadmap for the rest of the industry. Many colocation providers are also moving to carbon-neutral and water-efficient operations to capitalize on market demand for data center services that support their enterprise customers’ environmental goals. Enterprises must also address the impact of their on-premises data centers to support those goals.

The Vertiv Guide to Data Center Sustainability provides guidance for operators on:
• The business case for reducing environmental impact
• How data center infrastructure and complementary technologies are evolving to support higher utilization and increased use of renewable energy
• Resources, frameworks and metrics for implementing and measuring sustainability initiatives
• Best practices for designing and operating low-impact data centers