Data center operators gather sustainability data, but quietly

Less than a year ago, Uptime Intelligence published a report examining one of the findings from the 2025 Uptime Institute data center survey: data center operators were collecting less data on resource use and carbon emissions (see Why are operators collecting less sustainability data?). Sustainability concerns seemed to be waning.

The reasons seemed clear: amid the energy hungry (and sometimes water thirsty) AI build out, collecting and reporting data (which could reflect poorly on organizations) became less important for some, a distraction for others, and not worth the effort for a few. In addition, in the US, sustainability became entangled in divisive politics. It was unsurprising that some organizations appeared to be scaling back their sustainability programs.