John adds:“ Big tech companies like Microsoft, AWS and EcoDataCenter have already demonstrated the viability of these methods on a larger scale. With policy support such as the UK’ s green steel investments initiative and the US Inflation Reduction Act, as well as the rising influence of environmental regulations and certifications, the data centre sector is increasingly aligning its growth with sustainability imperatives.
“ By integrating material innovation, efficient design and resilient supply strategies, the industry can build more responsibly while maintaining momentum in an era of rising complexity.”
Steel or no steel? As the data centre industry moves closer to its sustainability goals, assessing greenhouse gas emissions during the construction phase is vital.
WHAT’ S THE ALTERNATIVE?
Sustainable materials that might be good alternatives( according to Ian Whitfield, CTO, Pure Data Centres Group):
• Products made from waste and recycled content
• Support for schemes that reuse existing steel( with minimum refabrication work)
• Products that use innovative engineering to do more with less