INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Data Centers
Why data center infrastructure must be at the forefront of sustainability efforts
Vertiv wants to reset the digital infrastructure playing field , here ’ s how its game plan plays out .
Although ESG efforts have been championed for many years , there is a sense of urgency for decisive action from all stakeholders now , especially the corporate sector .
While North America and Europe are ESG first movers , Asia is set to catch up fast on the back of regulatory changes and investor demand , according to research released by Accenture .
Progressive ESG policies are more than good optics , the public have much higher expectations of companies around ESG responsibility today .
Vertiv is elevating its focus on many important ESG topics , uniquely positioned to help our customers meet the environmental part of this strategy .
In today ' s business climate , sustainability and resilience are inseparable . According to EY , businesses in emerging markets with robust ESG ratings reaped a one percent reduction in capital costs – highlighting that sustainability may be as important as risk management and site reliability .
The insatiable demand for data , computing power and digital services means bigger data centers . While 10 or 20 MW centers were ‘ the norm ’ five years ago , they range between 100 to 200 MW today and will get bigger as energy-intensive technologies such as 5G mobile networks , Artificial Intelligence and high-performance computing become mainstream .
According to MIT , a single data center can consume the equivalent electricity of 50,000 homes today .
The electricity utilized by data centers accounts for about 0.3 % of overall carbon emissions .
Providing more capacity , while using less energy and shrinking our carbon footprint , is a challenge we take in our stride – our commitment starts at the top with Vertiv senior leaders driving change .
Our first public ESG report profiling current energy and water efficiency ; diversity ; equity and inclusion ; employee health and safety initiatives , and plans in the pipeline , was released recently .
Serving as a baseline upon which we can build , the report spotlights more efficient resource utilization and the use of renewable energy as top priorities on our sustainability ‘ to-do list ’, for both Vertiv operations and our solutions portfolio .
Solid progress is being made on the technologies we offer our customers to help them meet their efficiency goals , with a new uninterruptible power supply ( UPS ) operating mode that safely and dynamically adapts to changes in power quality enabling operating efficiency up to 99 %.
Energy-efficient and water-free economisation systems ( an alternative to water-intensive cooling systems ) have also been introduced , as well as the integration of solar energy solutions into telecommunications access sites .
We believe reducing dependence on the grid is another big step in the data center path to net-zero for Vertiv and our customers .
While carbon-based energy sources will power our sites in the foreseeable future , we expect fuel cells and long-duration energy storage , and intelligent power management systems will enable the transition to locally generated renewable power to happen sooner rather than later .
Sharing research and best practice , we want to reset the digital infrastructure playing field with a holistic and collaborative game plan to build a cleaner , greener , brighter future for our industry .
A future in which data centers will continue to fuel scientific advances , improve business processes , provide home entertainment and new ways to shop and connect with the world while minimizing their impact on the planet and the communities in which they operate . p
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