In our increasingly interconnected world, data centers play a pivotal role in supporting the digital infrastructure that drives businesses, communication, and innovation. Data centers are evolving due to the expanding influence of emerging technologies like AI/ML, and Metaverse which are transforming operations and infrastructure design as well. The infrastructure design of data centers is also evolving to accommodate these compute-intensive technology areas.
For years, making data centers more sustainable has been a priority not just because it helps meet ESG goals, but also because sustainability enhancements go together with lower energy consumption targets and improved data center reliability. Gartner forecasts that 75% of organizations will have implemented a data center infrastructure sustainability program driven by cost optimization and stakeholder pressures by 2027, up from less than 5% in 2022.
As the demand for data processing and storage grows, so does the need for sustainable practices within data centers.
The sustainability imperative
Before we delve into the specifics, let’s understand some key reasons why data center sustainability matters:
- Energy consumption: Data centers are voracious energy consumers. Their power requirements continue to rise as more organizational workloads are moving towards cloud, AI integration and ever-expanding Internet of Things (IoT) implementation. Reducing energy consumption is critical to minimizing the carbon footprint.
- Resource depletion: Data centers rely on raw materials like metals, plastics, and rare earth elements. Sustainable practices aim to minimize resource depletion and promote circular economy principles.
- Climate impact: The energy-intensive nature of data centers directly impacts climate change. By adopting sustainable technologies, we can mitigate this impact.
Emerging technologies to revolutionize data center sustainability
Digital Twin
As per Gartner, a digital twin is a digital representation of a real-world entity or system. Digital twin for data center - whether planned or already built – helps in providing detailed simulations of how that datacenter will perform and operate during its lifetime. Data center digital twins offer many benefits for organizations. Digital Twin goes beyond Datacenter Infrastructure Management (DCIM) to help organizations. Some key aspects include machine learning and software analytics capabilities, enhanced cooling unit performance monitoring and simulations for proactive decisions. You can gain insight into equipment cooling, power status, usage, capacity as well as mapping of the network and power supply. It becomes convenient to identify suitable areas for optimization of capacity and energy savings.
Digital twin for data centers is still in nascent stage. It offers multiple ways to design, build and operate data centers more efficiently and sustainably from the outset.
AI in Data Center Management
AI is making data centers more efficient and reliable through use cases ranging from predictive maintenance to optimizing energy usage. Predictive analytics is enabling data centers to anticipate and prevent potential issues. GenAI-enabled tools can help detect potential risks, automate tasks, optimize equipment calibration, data center density management which results in optimized operational savings and energy costs. This proactive approach to maintenance and security significantly reduces downtime and enhances the overall resilience of data center operations.
Smart data centers through the Internet of Things (IoT)
Smart data centers developed with IoT are capable of self-management, adjusting power, network, cooling and several other operational parameters automatically based on real-time data, resulting in improved efficiency and minimal human intervention. Sensors and smart devices enabled by IoT are being used to track everything from thermals to power usage, ensuring resilience, optimal performance and efficiency.
Quantum computing
Quantum computing is still not ready for prime time, but there's good reason to think it's close – so close that companies are already planning quantum data centers. If the deployment of quantum computers inside data centers grows, it could revolutionize the sustainability landscape because quantum computers consume dramatically less energy than conventional processors relative to computing power.
Augmented Reality (AR) /Mixed Reality (MR)
In data centers, augmented reality and mixed reality help organizations with the ability to better interact with their environment, having contextual information always at hand. This helps in empowering technicians to execute data centers’ build, design and maintenance work at a faster speed, lowered costs and unaltered quality. In fact, Remote AR assistance services are on the rise, as it helps to instantly have certified experts from anywhere in the world for troubleshooting and support.
The use of hands-free augmented reality also allows for the adoption of an incremental workforce model with decentralized pools of lower and more generic skill carrying out the day-to-day manual work in service providers' data centers, and pools of more senior capable and certified resources centrally available for remote operations, design and assistance. This not only helps in real-time support but also helps to maintain the required data center sustainability levels in the minimum time required.
IT/OT Convergence
The integration of IT and OT in data centers leads to significant improvements in energy efficiency, resource optimization, and overall sustainability. This holistic approach not only reduces operational costs but also minimizes the environmental impact, contributing to a greener future.
Through unified operations, organizations can ensure compliance with environmental regulations and benchmarks by continuously monitoring and reporting key metrics. IT/OT integration also helps in enabling process optimization, predictive analytics, and optimizing energy consumptions.
Scaling up green data centers
Moving towards green data centers is now an imperative and organizations are now more focused on creating sustainable businesses and are conscious of their impact on the environment. Some of the key practices in scaling up datacenter sustainability include:
- Energy audits: Regular energy audits help identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement. Monitor power usage effectiveness (PUE) and strive for lower values.
- Lifecycle management: Extend the lifespan of equipment through proper maintenance, upgrades, and repurposing. Avoid premature replacement. This also helps to optimize OPEX cycles and minimize CAPEX investments tied to refresh.
- Waste reduction: Recycle e-waste, decommissioned servers, compliant and efficient IT asset disposa and other components.
- Collaboration: Industry collaboration fosters knowledge sharing. Participate in initiatives like the Green Grid and the Open Compute Project to gain insights on the latest innovation projects and collaborate with industry players to create sustainability frameworks, solutions.
- Data center locations: Selecting locations with access to renewable energy sources and favorable climate conditions.
- Carbon offsetting programs: Minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from data centers by investing in suitable carbon offsetting programs.
- Investment in green AI infrastructure: Invest in infrastructure that is designed to reduce the energy consumed by AI workloads.
- Renewable energy: Focus on shifting data center energy requirements towards complete renewable sources. It could be through shifting to completely renewable energy.
By embracing emerging technologies and adhering to best practices, we can build a more resilient and eco-friendly digital infrastructure. As data centers evolve, let’s ensure they leave a positive impact on our planet.
To know more, you may write to us at HCBU-PMG@hcl.com.
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