Data Centers & Sustainability: What you Need to Know

One of the most energy-intensive buildings in the world are data centers. While the concept makes sense in terms of management efficiency, infrastructure, cost control, and security, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports that data centers consume 10-50 times more energy per floor space compared to a commercial office building. Does it makes sense for corporates to make their data centers more energy efficient? If so, what are the drivers? What are some strategies for data centers to go green? Who is doing it? Learn more as we explore this topic in-depth.

The DOE says that U.S. data centers account for 2 percent of the nation’s electricity use, which is a phenomenal number. The round-the-clock operation is one of the reasons the data center consumes so much energy.

This is Part I of a two-part series on sustainability in data centers. In Part I, we discuss the business case for greening data centers by reviewing the data center components and strategies for reducing energy and water consumption, and CO₂ emissions.