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Believe it or not, even the Cloud has a carbon footprint, and it’s a rather large one.

Operating as silent but giant sentinels around the globe, major data centers are one of the largest consumers of electric power, which means that invisible as these data centers may be to the public, their carbon footprints are gigantic, and as a consequence, must take real steps to shift into carbon neutrality in the next few years.

To paint a clearer picture for the rest of us, all companies have data centers that store all data. There are on-site data centers and off-site data centers, and what we refer to as “the Cloud” means that the data center is off-site, usually leased to a third-party facilitator that serves as the gatekeeper to all this data and how it’s managed.

Every data center is comprised of many complex network servers that run 24/7 on electric power. “The Cloud”, though consumers may never come in direct contact with it, is definitely there, consuming energy and emitting carbon every day.

(Also Read: Industries and the Race to Net Zero)

All industries worldwide are being called to do their part in the effort to fulfill promises of reducing carbon emissions, and the data center industry is not exempt. What initiatives are being made by some of the most recognizable companies around the globe today?

Google’s Gargantuan Net Zero Goal

Google is going gung-ho with meeting net zero goals by 2030. According to CNBC, the tech titan’s global data centers consume as much electric power as the entire city of San Francisco does.

Michael Terrell, Google’s Director of Energy states something rather obvious, yet essential to bear in mind: “The amount of energy Google uses grows as overall internet and business grow.”

Considering Google and all its subsidiary products are something of a necessity in our collective every day, this comes as an understatement.

The article from CNBC reveals that Google has gargantuan plans of shifting to 100% carbon-free energy in its data centers by 2030. This is an aggressive goal that remains to be seen, but the numbers measuring the company’s energy efficiency throughout the years show that they may be up to the task.

Google shared that in 2008, its PUE, or power usage effectiveness was set at 1.22, and thanks to the company’s purchase of renewable energy in 2017, its PUE in 2021 has now become 1.1.

Uptime Institute’s 2021 data center survey shows that this number looks good, as compared to the average PUE of large data centers around the world, which is 1.57.

How does Google do it? A combination of adjustments made to both hardware and software. The company invests in acquiring new equipment for servers, which ensures more efficient energy consumption, and fewer heat emissions.  As for software, AI and machine learning play important parts in predicting when best to turn on heat pumps to cool down these data centers.

This OEM is Going Carbon Neutral

Meanwhile, OEM Volkswagen AG has set its clock to reach net neutrality by 2027, doubling down on its Green IT policy as part of the company’s ESG (environmental, social, and governance) agenda. As the first OEM to commit to the Paris Agenda in 2018, this comes as no surprise.

For this automaker, renewable power becomes their focus as well as their ally. Volkswagen AG’s new data centers in Norway optimize its strategic location. According to Automotive World, this data center is built adjacent to a deep-water fjord with a constant water temperature of 8 degrees Celsius.

Volkswagen AG’s data center is running on hydropower. This translates to a smaller carbon footprint and a larger environmental impact.

Just how powerful is this data center? Volkswagen AG’s Green Mountain data center is powerful enough to provide electricity to fifty households for a whole year.

The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact

An initiative of the data center industry in Europe, the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact is part of the larger European Green Deal, which is a commitment made by European countries to reach net neutral goals by 2050.

In the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact, data center operators, data center professionals, and owners of data center facilities have identified that for them to be successful in their goal, a solid infrastructure needs to be put in place to support initiatives and policies created. It is clear that sustainability is top of mind when it comes to many of the companies taking part, and this can only happen when a sturdy, government-initiated infrastructure has been established.

The carbon-neutral data center industry market is set to balloon to $16.53B by 2027, according to a market research study done by BIS Research. It’s only a matter of time before all conventional data centers transform into carbon neutral ones, making the Cloud bigger, better, and much safer for the environment.

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