AN UNQUENCHABLE THIRST for data storage , online services , and cloud computing is driving an explosion in the construction of hyperscale data centres .
Taking up hundreds of thousands of square feet of real estate , these server farms are also highly automated and use the latest start-of-the-art technology . Networking and IT giant Cisco predicts that the number of these behemoth-sized data centres , mainly from multinational corporations such as Google , Apple , Microsoft , Amazon , and Facebook , will double in the next two years .
In turn , data centres are intensely hungry for energy . Globally , it is estimated that the industry consumes between three and 5 % of the world ’ s power , putting it on par with the aviation industry . As a result , the spotlight has been put on these facilities by environmentalists , governmental regulators and the general public to ensure that there is a sustainability focus .
Guy England , Lenovo Group ’ s Data Centre Director , explains : “ The popularity of new technologies such artificial intelligence and the internet of things are spawning a massive increase in computing power , with some predicting data centre energy consumption will triple in the next decade . With the Paris Climate Agreement placing energy usage at the top of the public and government agenda , those with large datacentres are coming under pressure to be more efficient .”
The size of the challenge A clean , renewable energy source is the biggest challenge facing data centres . As well as powering the massive number of server racks , the cooling systems need to suck up all the heat generated by the machines , and that requires a lot of power . Energy and cooling alone account for 90 % of a data centre ’ s electricity consumption .
It isn ’ t just regulations or a social conscience that is encouraging the large multi-nationals building data centres to shrink their carbon footprints . Reducing energy use also lowers the operating costs , a saving that can then be passed