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The top cloud providers who are the major customers for hyperscale data center buildups have already announced their goals to be carbon neutral or carbon negative over the next 5 – 10 years . can see where we get our energy . It is a key differentiator for us . The technologies we deployed at Green Mountain are the most energy- efficient we have seen . Based on the power usage effectiveness ( PUE ), the equipment will improve overall efficiency rating , which was already at extremely high standards .”

Are there any certifications data centers need to achieve to prove their green credentials ?

There are a number of country-specific certifications on building ‘ green ’ or sustainable data centers . Some countries also incentivize ‘ green data centers ’ through tax breaks . In Singapore , for example , the government ’ s Infocomm Media Development Authority developed a Singapore Standard for Green Data Centers . Modeled after the ISO 50001 standard on energy management , it defines a set of performance metrics for data centers to measure their energy efficiency .

In Malaysia , the Sustainable Energy Development Authority ( SEDA ) Malaysia aims to drive public and private collaborations to support carbon reduction targets of 40 % against the GDP annually in the ICT sector .

In the industry , PUE is a measure of energy efficiency of a data center . It is derived by calculating the ratio of the energy used as a whole for the data center as compared with the energy used by just the IT

equipment alone . As an example , the PUE for the tobe-approved data centers in Singapore is reportedly required to be 1.3 or below .

How can data centers help organizations reduce their carbon footprint ?

Data centers and the entire ecosystem of companies associated with them can start by adopting a resolution

Data centers are poised to become as necessary as critical utility services in the next couple of years .

The data center providers and their vendors / solution providers are accordingly working to align their goals by incorporating sustainability approaches and strategies in design , building , supply chain , services and their processes .

These measures can focus on , among others , conserving energy , water and other natural resources that in turn can aid in the reduction of greenhouse emissions . To illustrate , Vertiv provides highly efficient power and thermal solutions to data center operators while it has also adopted certain energy efficiency initiatives in its own operations , such as LED lighting to equipment upgrades , and exploring the adoption of renewable energy .

What sort of services should a green data center be offering to prove its green credentials ?

The green certifications of a data center built and operated on sustainable principles offers immediate and significant differentiation to its clients as compared to more traditional data centers , especially the hyperscale cloud services companies and other enterprise-grade customers , by enabling them to progress towards their ESG goals . These ‘ fit for future ’ data centers can offer digital solutions monitoring the energy consumption , water usage , temperature and humidity trends and peak demand cycles .

Along with access to clean power source and high efficiency standards on power usage , they can offer sustainable practices such as smart temperature and lighting controls , rainwater reclamation , waste heat recycling and advanced cooling technologies . They can make strides on leading recycling and circular economy programs with local businesses .

The next step is for these data centers to adopt a standard mechanism for measuring and reporting carbon in power usage and embodied within the materials or products used in the data centers . This will allow them to collaborate easily within themselves as well as with the client companies who may have already embarked on an organization wide carbon management program to measure and decarbonize their operations . p

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