Cop26, the cloud drives up data center consumption. But government moratoriums are not the solution

According to Jay Lee, Manager Consulting of Analysys Mason, it is necessary to push the adoption of new generation technologies, in particular on the cooling front, which also allow to reduce management costs with tangible benefits for the income statement and for strategic positioning in key to eco-sustainability 22 Nov 2021 Domenico Aliperto

"Concerns about the environmental impact of data centers represent an opportunity to focus on the adoption of new solutions that can reduce the consumption of electricity and water". To say it is Jay Lee, Manager Consulting of Analysys Mason, with an article that appeared on the portal of the strategic consulting firm. The COP26 summit outlined a clear picture of the global situation: drastic action must be taken to combat climate change, otherwise irreversible damage is risked for the biological balance on the planet. Among the factors to be taken into consideration is undoubtedly the enormous development of the Internet and digital technology in the last 20 years, with the consequent exponential growth in the spread and use of data centers, large consumers of electricity and water. "The continued growth of the digital economy and the development of new technologies mean the need to balance the incessant demand for digital infrastructure with the management of sustainability problems," notes Lee. "Governments and regulators need to take a more pragmatic approach to addressing these issues and there is a significant opportunity for innovators within the data center value chain to reduce environmental impact." Index of topics • Consumption of electricity and water beyond the threshold • Technologies available to operators Consumption of electricity and water beyond the guard threshold Also due to the explosion of cloud computing, data centers have on the other hand become the backbone of the digital economy, and in terms of electricity consumption they now have a substantial weight in the countries where the major operators are concentrated. In Ireland, for example, they currently represent 11% of total electricity demand, and forecasts suggest that the figure could grow up to 25% by 2030. In Singapore the share reaches 7%, while in China in 2018 the data center consumed more electricity than in all of Malaysia.