With the meteoric rise of AI, data centers are crucial to tackling the challenges posed by climate change. As the invisible mainstays of this digital revolution, we fall under our customers’ ‘scope 3’ requirements, particularly in the case of cloud providers and leading AI companies, and thus occupy a vital position in their value chain. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with the energy, infrastructure and services we provide are factored into their carbon footprint, showing the indirect effect of their activities. To reduce this impact, we need to reinvent our business model by marrying technological innovation with a focus on environmentally responsible development.
LCAs are crucial
Since 2020, Data4 has routinely integrated Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) into the design of our European data centers. This comprehensive approach makes it possible to assess the environmental impact of a data center’s entire life cycle with a high degree of accuracy and has revealed that, over a period of 20 years, 20% of GHG emissions are generated during construction and 80% during the operational phase.
Thanks to these LCAs, a rough composite picture of the environmental impact of these facilities has emerged: a 1 MW IT data center produces between 6,600 and 10,400 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the course of 20 years, which is equal to the electricity consumption of 94 to 149 European households. In addition, our Marcoussis campus uses 10,000 M³ of water per year, which is roughly equivalent to watering a football pitch every day.
These assessments, which are conducted in compliance with emerging European standards, exclude the manufacture of IT equipment and focus instead on infrastructure. They provide a comprehensive overview of the impacts involved, enabling Data4 to make more environmentally responsible choices, such as switching to low-carbon materials and working to continually improve the operational efficiency of data centers.
More eco-friendly buildings
Thanks to these life cycle assessments, operators are able to pinpoint the most environmentally-friendly options in order to minimise the environmental impact of their buildings. One of these solutions is the use of low-carbon concrete. This material, which reduces building-related emissions by up to 30%, also enhances thermal insulation and is easier to recycle. This solution, which Data4 first identified a few years ago, is now being implemented, in collaboration with the Italian company Generale Prefabbricati, in the construction of all our new data centers in Europe.
But building less is sometimes the best solution. Converting brownfield sites or disused buildings into modern data centers reduces the strain on natural resources and enables existing sites to be put to good use. Such initiatives are part of a much-needed effort to conserve resources in a fast-expanding sector.
Adopting a circular economy approach to IT equipment
But our efforts are not confined to bricks and mortar. Equipment – cabling and cooling systems – accounts for a significant proportion of the carbon footprint of any data center. To address this issue, operators are increasingly focusing on a circular economy approach: optimising maintenance using sensors, extending the lifespan of components and reusing or recycling equipment.
Sustainability in operations
Once data centers are up and running, optimisation is an absolute must. Artificial intelligence solutions can help transform the way resources are managed. By adjusting energy and water consumption parameters in real time, AI can reduce environmental impacts while delivering optimum performance.
Tools such as ‘environmental dashboards’ provide unprecedented levels of transparency. Used in conjunction with customers, they enable the carbon footprint of IT infrastructure and equipment to be monitored with precision, thus helping to reduce the environmental footprint of the value chain as a whole.
In addition, circular innovations such as the recovery of heat generated by servers to heat buildings, to power farms or to grow algae then recycle it as biomass and reuse it to manufacture cosmetics or agri-food products (our bio-circular data center project) illustrate how data centers can be incorporated into a comprehensive strategy for achieving environmental sustainability.
Pursuing a global impact by working together
According to some estimates, data centers account for 16% of the digital economy’s carbon footprint, versus 79% in the case of digital devices. This figure highlights the importance of adopting a collective approach. Because operators cannot meet this challenge alone, customers, suppliers and partners need to work together to ensure that their initiatives are consistent with sustainable development objectives.
Reducing ‘scope 3’ emissions means rethinking not only how infrastructure is built and operated, but also how it is maintained and how waste is managed. This type of integrated approach, combined with greater cooperation, is essential if we are to transform the impact of digital technology on a global scale.
Data center operators are no longer merely data hosts: they have become key to creating a sustainable digital economy. By creating more compact facilities, adopting environmentally-friendly working methods and incorporating innovation at every stage of their projects, they are providing tangible proof that a model that combines performance and a respect for the planet is already feasible.
