Bring on regulations for data center sustainability, say Europe and APAC

As the data center sector increases its focus on becoming more environmentally sustainable, regulators still have a part to play — the question is to what extent? In a recent Uptime Institute survey of nearly 400 data center operators and suppliers worldwide, a strong majority would favor regulators playing a greater role in improving the overall sustainability of data centers — except for respondents in North America.

Globally, more than three in five respondents favor greater reliance on statutory regulation. The strongest support (75% of respondents) is in Europe and APAC (Asia-Pacific, including China). However, in the US and Canada, fewer than half (41%) want more government involvement, with the majority of respondents saying the government plays an adequate role, or should play a lesser role, in sustainability regulation (see Figure 1).