Originally posted on Start Campus.
Investment in data centers has grown exponentially since 2013. Despite the increased investment, demand and data consumption are outweighing the available infrastructure to support growth. As a result, data center companies are trying to keep pace with such demand by increasing capacity and new facilities while understanding that innovative power and energy solutions need to be prioritized and implemented to mitigate the impact on local and global ecology.
Countries and local communities are increasingly aware of renewable energy, putting pressure on businesses to use clean resources. Although global internet traffic has increased 15-fold since 2010, the energy used in data centers remains relatively unchanged. A 2022 S&P Global survey states that European enterprises cited on average a PUE of 2.1, while most cloud data centers aim for an average PUE of 1.3-1.4 or lower, and leased data centers can be anywhere in between.
Gartner, a global leading analyst firm, predicted that by 2025, without sustainable practices, AI alone will consume more energy than the human workforce, significantly offsetting carbon-zero gains. If this prediction comes true, data center operators will become a driving force for solving sustainability problems across the globe. However, solutions are a challenge. For instance, renewable energy is in high demand but not in high supply, especially when trying to implement 24×7 green computing solutions. One type of renewable, solar power, is great at the right angle, latitude, and the right sphere.
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