SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability has become a crucial focus in the data centre industry , driven by increasing environmental concerns , regulatory pressures and the sector ’ s significant energy consumption .
With continued challenges across global energy chains , sustainable supply chain management will likely remain a key driver of innovation and investment . These optimised services could also lead to operational cost savings and improved public perception , in addition to significant reductions in energy consumption .
Across the data centre industry , it ’ s expected that a new ecosystem of supply chain models will emerge . This involves partners working closer together to drive innovation together , which , in turn , will create a more resilient supply chain ecosystem .
With insights from high-level executives across the data centre industry , we examine how data centre businesses and operators can best optimise their supply chains with sustainability as a crucial focus .
The impact of digital transformation on data centres The global data centre landscape is changing , with regulators like the European Commission introducing new standards for businesses to report their sustainable progress . Notably , operators are obliged by May 2025 to provide the European database all sustainability information and KPUs for the data centres they operate , enterprise , colocation or otherwise .
Governance on data centre sustainability varies by region or country and more are set to come , particularly as the United Nations ( UN ) is aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 .
However , these changes are taking place amid a background of ongoing digital transformation , where data centres continue to try and meet growing demands of AI .
“ Data centres will need more power to satisfy growing demand ,” comments Jason Wei , Senior Scientist at Dow ( Consumer & Electronics ). “ It is a dynamic landscape , but the regulations
110 December 2024