Digital retrofitting represents the cornerstone of this approach – implementing smart monitoring capabilities into existing infrastructure can reveal efficiency opportunities that have been hidden for years. When combined with targeted equipment upgrades in high-impact systems like cooling and power distribution, these facilities can achieve performance metrics that approach those of new builds.
I believe the most forward-thinking operators are now implementing comprehensive energy management ecosystems that connect every system within the facility. This holistic approach enables dynamic optimisation across all operations, aligning energy use with both business priorities and sustainability goals.
The industry must also embrace circular economy principles more broadly. By designing for componentlevel maintenance rather than wholesale replacement, we can dramatically extend infrastructure lifespans while reducing resource consumption and waste.
The bottom line is that decarbonising existing data centre infrastructure is fundamentally a business imperative – driving operational efficiency, reducing long-term costs and creating market differentiation, while simultaneously addressing environmental responsibilities in an increasingly resource-constrained landscape.
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