Vertiv releases its 'Data Center Sustainability' guide

Vertiv recently released its sustainability guide for the data center industry with the hope that it will help to decarbonize operations, improve water efficiency and reduce the industry’s overall environmental impact. The company, in its guide, highlighted figures from the International Energy Agency report that found data centers account for 1% of worldwide electricity consumption, a figure that, without action, will only increase. Moreover, considering the “immense surge” in global internet traffic in 2020, increasing by more than 40%, and Market Intelligence projections that data center construction will grow at a rate of 13% annually over the next five years, enhancing sustainability is imperative.

In its guide, Vertiv provides insights to the industry regarding:

Guidance in the business case for sustainability
How data center infrastructure and associated technologies are developing to support increased use of renewable energy and higher utilization
Metrics, resources and frameworks for launching and monitoring sustainability programs
Best practices for operating and designing low-impact data centers

Speaking about the company’s motivation behind the creation of the guide, TJ Faze, head of ESG strategy & engagement at Vertiv, said: We’re seeing a sense of urgency by operators across the industry to reduce the impact of their operations on the environment, and this new resource is designed to help them do just that.”

Adding: “The focus on operational efficiency has enabled significant improvements, but now new strategies and more intelligent systems are required to drive down emissions and water use as the industry continues to grow. As a provider of infrastructure solutions to enterprises, colocation and cloud providers, Vertiv is well-positioned to share best practices and new developments across these sectors.”

Meanwhile, Karsten Winther, EMEA president at Vertiv, said: “In Europe alone, over 25 European cloud and data centre operators and 17 other industry associations have signed an agreement to make their facilities carbon neutral via 100% renewable energy sources by 2030. This will only be achievable if organisations implement new strategies and innovative systems that reduce the consumption of resources. Our newly launched Guide, paired with our depth of experience in providing infrastructure solutions, allows us to share best practices and new innovations from across the industry to educate these operators and help to reduce the environmental footprint of their facilities, not only in Europe, but across the globe.”