Data centres are the unseen backbone of the digital economy, yet their environmental impact is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore writes Richard Clifford, Director of Solutions, Keysource
Beyond keeping businesses operational, data centres play a pivotal role in shaping their clients’ carbon footprints across all three emissions scopes. Choices around power consumption, infrastructure, and supply chains extend their influence far beyond operational walls, with unoptimised data centres significantly increasing Scope 3 emissions.
As pressure mounts from regulators and stakeholders demanding credible net-zero strategies, organisations can no longer afford to overlook emissions from outsourced IT infrastructure. Accurately quantifying these impacts and fostering transparent provider-client collaboration are crucial steps toward meeting sustainability targets while balancing the rising demands of modern computing.
Quantifying data centre emissions in carbon reporting
When it comes to data centres, their carbon story unfolds across three chapters. First, there’s the direct emissions from their day-to-day operations – think backup generators and on-site fuel use. Then comes the electricity that keeps their servers humming. But it’s the third, the Scope 3 emissions, that is the most complex. Comprising manufacturing equipment, personnel, construction, and client operations, this sprawling network of supply chains often carries the heaviest environmental weight. The Scope 3 challenge is compounded by also being the most diverse and therefore challenging to measure.
For businesses trying to map their carbon footprint, Scope 3 emissions present a particular puzzle. The challenges are numerous: data quality varies wildly, supply chains stretch across continents and global reporting standards often speak different languages. Yet with regulators tightening the screws on environmental disclosure, companies can’t afford to leave their IT infrastructure’s carbon footprint in the shadows.
Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) offer a map through this complexity. By tracking environmental impacts from cradle to grave, from raw material extraction through construction, daily operations, and eventual decommissioning, LCAs help organisations chart a clearer course toward their ESG commitments.
The key to unlocking this potential lies in partnership. When data centre providers and their clients share data openly, they can craft carbon reduction strategies that work for both parties. This collaboration transforms data centres from silent contributors to emissions into active partners in corporate sustainability.
Balancing the digital appetite with climate goals
The AI revolution has created an insatiable hunger for computing power. As organisations feed massive datasets into their AI models, data centres are working overtime, creating a stark challenge: how do we fuel digital innovation without burning through climate commitments?
This tug-of-war adds another layer to the reporting puzzle as businesses navigate the delicate balance between pushing technological boundaries and honoring their sustainability promises. Regulators are taking notice, crafting new rules that specifically target the environmental impact of data-hungry technologies. For data centre operators, this means finding creative ways to manage energy use while keeping pace with their clients’ growing appetite for computing power.
Thankfully, innovation is lighting the way forward. A new generation of solutions is emerging through low-power chips that sip rather than gulp electricity, smarter server designs that maximise efficiency, and cooling systems that minimise energy waste. Even AI models themselves are becoming more streamlined, delivering the same punch with less power requirements. Perhaps most ingeniously, what was once waste heat is now being repurposed to warm nearby communities through district heating systems.
But technology alone isn’t enough. The real game-changer lies in renewable energy. Through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), data centres are securing long-term access to green electricity. Strategic facility locations near renewable energy sources, combined with investments in local grid infrastructure, are creating a foundation for sustainable growth. This comprehensive approach isn’t just about hitting emissions targets – it’s about building a digital future that can thrive without compromising our planet’s health.
Building data centres of tomorrow
Creating a truly sustainable data centre requires diligence in every part. Energy efficiency remains the foundation: advanced liquid cooling systems, smart modular designs, and innovative heat recovery solutions are dramatically reducing operational emissions. But it’s not just about efficient operations. Securing green energy through on-site renewables and long-term contracts ensures these digital powerhouses run on clean fuel
The sustainability journey begins long before the first server powers up. By choosing low-carbon construction materials and embracing modular building techniques, data centres can reduce their environmental footprint from day one. The circular economy plays a role too as equipment reuse and recycling programs extend hardware life cycles and shrink those challenging Scope 3 emissions.
Success demands true partnership between providers and clients. When both parties collaborate from the earliest design stages, they can craft solutions that deliver on both sustainability promises and performance needs. Regular monitoring and open data sharing keep these environmental commitments on track.
Data centres sit at a crucial crossroads where digital ambition meets environmental responsibility. Their influence on emissions calls for a comprehensive approach to sustainability. As AI and high-performance computing push energy demands to new heights, the industry must embrace measurable, science-based solutions.
