Recent years have seen a boom in data centers. That’s great for economic growth and job creation. But there is a disadvantage.
Worldwide, this surge in data centers is predicted to generate around 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by the decade’s end.
Data centers are energy hogs. They guzzle a lot of electricity. Now, that must make you think about how you can reduce your data center’s emissions.
Good news—there are plenty of ways you can make your data center sustainable. Making your data center more sustainable doesn’t have to mean sacrificing performance. In fact, the right strategies can help you cut emissions, lower energy costs, and even future-proof your operations.
Ready to reduce your data center’s carbon footprint? In this guide, we’ll share a few key strategies that will make your data center sustainable while boosting its efficiency.
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1. Increase Workload Performance-Per-Watt
A new report shows that data centers in the U.S. guzzled about 150 million megawatt-hours in 2023. That’s enough to power 14 million average homes for a year.
What’s more? New data centers are being built at an unprecedented scale. Their built-in capacities often range from 100 to 1,000 megawatts. And load growth will only increase in the future.
So, how do you keep up with demand without skyrocketing your energy bill? The answer is energy-efficient hardware.
Upgrading to energy-efficient hardware can help you significantly cut down on this emission. Case in point—Intel processors. Their built-in capabilities give more performance per watt while enhancing energy efficiency.
The 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, for instance, feature most built-in accelerators of any CPU, which improve performance efficiency for emerging workloads. This processor offers a 2.9x increase in performance per watt efficiency for targeted workloads using their integrated accelerators.
If you switch to Intel’s 4th Gen Xeon Scalable Processor, you can increase workload performance-per-watt and reduce your energy consumption.
Investing in energy-efficient hardware won’t just cut down on power consumption. It will also save money and enhance performance.
2. Shift to Liquid Cooling Technology
Data centers are growing, and so is heat generation.
A data center generates around 20 to 50 MW of heat, while a data campus center can produce up to 300 MW. That is enough to power a mid-sized city.
It’s clear that efficient cooling systems are the need of the hour for data center sustainability.
For cooling IT infrastructure, air cooling was the primary method. But it struggles to maintain optimal temperatures. This results in significant issues, which include higher energy consumption.
Liquid cooling technology is emerging as a viable alternative. These systems efficiently remove heat by circulating coolant directly to hot components. Thus, they effectively absorb heat and remove it quicker than air from your data center.
Besides being efficient at removing heat, liquid cooling technology is an eco-friendly solution. Unlike traditional cooling methods, it doesn’t burn through tons of energy. It achieves the same or even better cooling than air cooling.
That isn’t all. This technology can also help you lower your carbon emissions. Stream Data Centers says that liquid cooling technology has the potential to reduce all 1, 2, & 3 emissions. It explains that more heat transfer per unit will lower Scope 2 emissions, and less MEP infrastructure and smaller buildings will decrease Scope 3 emissions.
3. Power Them With Renewable Energy
Old data centers sure run on fossil fuels. But many new ones are also powered by them, says TIME.
If your data center is still running on fossil fuels, it’s time for an upgrade.
Data centers are leading the way in energy transition. They are spurring the construction of renewable energy sources, particularly solar, wind, and nuclear, and so they are becoming more accessible.
Hydrogen is also being used to power data centers. These centers generate electricity through hydrogen fuel cells, which produce power by combining oxygen and hydrogen.
One of the smartest ways to secure renewable energy is through power purchase agreements (PPAs). They offer data centers long-term price certainty, so secure them through PPAs. They will shield your data center from the unpredictable nature of fuel prices.
And if you invest in additional PPAs, you will help the renewable energy market grow.
Bottom line? Transitioning to renewables isn’t just about sustainability. It’s also about cost stability, energy independence, and future-proofing your operations.
4. Optimize Software for Energy Efficiency
Did you know that the language you code in affects energy use?
A 2023 study found that programming languages, like Java, often consume more energy than natively compiled ones like C. That is because Java relies on a virtual machine, while C is compiled into machine code that can run on hardware.
So, if your software runs on Java, switching to C could make your data center operations more energy-efficient and sustainable. The more efficient your code, the less processing power it needs—meaning less energy used.
Language choice isn’t the only factor. Another thing you can do is optimize algorithms and reduce unnecessary computations. That can significantly cut energy use.
Improving database queries can also make a difference. Poorly optimized queries force servers to work overtime, consuming more energy than necessary. Fine-tuning them can speed up performance and cut energy waste. Similarly, reducing background tasks and streamlining code execution helps keep power use in check.
The result? Besides less electricity consumption, your software runs faster, which ultimately lowers operational costs.
Making your data center sustainable is not just about saving the planet, but it’s also good for business. Energy-efficient operations mean lower costs, better performance, and a positive brand reputation.
As governments worldwide tighten regulations on carbon emissions, future-proofing your infrastructure now will save you a headache later.
Keep in mind that every data center is different. What works for a hyperscale facility might not be the best fit for a smaller operation.
So, start where you can—whether that is switching to renewable energy, optimizing cooling, or tweaking software for efficiency. Even small changes can add up to big sustainability gains.