Data center growth can improve sustainability performance

The rapid expansion of the global data center footprint raises a critical question: can this growth be managed within the data center industry’s stated sustainability goals, or will those sustainability objectives need to be delayed or even abandoned?

If the digital infrastructure industry delivers the projected development of 650 MWh of new data centers by 2030 — built with highly efficient facilities and IT infrastructure and supported by new carbon-free electricity generation capacity — it can drive substantial improvements in sustainability performance. To achieve this, operators must emphasize sustainability, along with resiliency and reliability, in the design and operation of both existing and new facilities and IT infrastructure.