Nonetheless, there are big challenges on the horizon for the DC sector as a whole, not least due to the intensely demanding requirements of AI. At present, rack power density in most DC is generally significantly less than 30kW; with the rise of AI, it’s likely that we will see a marked increase in demand for higher densities (40kW to 90 kW) and even higher, with all the ensuing implications for energy usage and cooling. “This will be monumental in terms of trying to manage the environmental impact,” predicts Radoczy’s Three Media colleague, CTO Craig Bury. “People have already sought upwards of 100kW – in one rack – to support AI. We’re not at the point yet where broadcasters are looking at doing large language model AI projects, but it will happen. So while [M&E demand for AI DC services] is not so power intensive yet, it will get there.” With AI innovation exploding in a manner which is without recent parallel, this is a prospect that should be giving M&E customers everywhere reason to pause and reflect. A DATA CENTRE DEEP DIVE All of this should be effecting a more unforgiving spotlight on DC efficiency and the steps that can be taken to reduce their emissions. The encouraging news is that both new guidelines and forthcoming regulations – both voluntary and mandatory – are in prospect to help push DC providers and their customers along the pathway to greater efficiency. And as desired in the preceding section, it looks as if they will tend to utilise the same range of metrics.
Schneider Electric SE is a company specialising in digital automation and energy management, including in DCs. It has published extensively on issues around DC sustainability and efficiency, including a carbon calculator devised for DCs and a recent white paper titled ‘A Guide to Environmental Sustainability Metrics for Data Centres.’ Focusing on the ‘unique characteristics’ of the DC industry – including high energy intensity, rapid growth, large power consumption – the document proposes five categories and a grand total of 23 key metrics for operators who are in various stages of their sustainability journeys. In addition to indicating how they should use these metrics to establish targets and show progress, the document also shows how this data can be matched to framework standards, including those devised by ISO/IEC, GHG Protocol and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Meanwhile, Schneider Electric VP of innovation Steve Carlini points out that “a wave of voluntary reporting [regulations] are on the way, [processes around which] are starting now with the EU helping companies to gather data. Then there will be mandatory reporting through legislation such as the [EU’s] Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.” Expected to take effect in January 2024, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive modernises and expands the rules concerning the social and environmental information that companies have to report, and means that a broader set of large companies – as well as listed SMEs – will now be required to report on sustainability. Though not focused on DCs, it will have an effect on them as
AN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE The green impact of DCs is not something to ignore, so a more concerted effort from the industry is key
feedmagazine.tv
Powered by FlippingBook