DESIGN & BUILD
Balancing land, power and water use Technology and building solutions do not operate in a vacuum – there are broader environmental factors like land, power and water usage that must be considered here.
“ Data centres are essential to modern life and the global economy, powering everything from banking and healthcare to emergency services. At the same time, they rely on precious natural resources – land, power, and water – which must be carefully balanced, particularly as AI and high-density computing drive rapid growth,” says Todd.
“ These resources are also under increasing scrutiny from regulators, investors, and local communities, making efficient use vital for permitting, social license to operate and long-term competitiveness.”
According to Todd, a holistic strategy is essential for data centre operators.
“ A whole-facility approach is key,” he says.“ Liquid cooling reduces the footprint of large air-handling infrastructure, while advanced heat rejection systems can keep water in a closed loop, minimising or even eliminating water loss – a critical consideration in regions where water is scarce.
“ Precision cooling ensures energy is focused on IT loads rather than non-IT systems, maximising efficiency.
“ Integrated solutions, such as pairing Silent-Aire CDUs with efficient chillers, controls and building automation, optimise resource use across the site
while supporting both sustainability and performance goals.
“ Increasingly, operators are adopting circular approaches, treating waste heat as a resource rather than a by-product – for example, capturing industrial and municipal waste heat in Europe to decarbonise district heating networks.
“ At Johnson Controls we provide the technology and expertise to make data centres more efficient, reliable and sustainable, enabling operators to balance land, power and water use effectively.”
100 November 2025