In today’s world, everything is digitally connected. From jobs and basic services to entertainment, the world quite practically runs off data and how fast we can process it. This has beckoned an age of computer processing that focuses on efficiency, security, and storage capacity that can keep up with an evolving technological landscape. As this sudden need for better processing power came about, more organizations looked to the remote, automated, and sustainable option of cloud computing.
In this blog article, we look at how the process of cloud computing rose to power and the implications that traditional data centers had on the environment. We also look at the rise of the next-generation data center and how the future of cloud computing can become more sustainable. First, let’s learn more about the rise and environmental impact of cloud computing.
The Rise of Cloud Computing and Its Environmental Implications
Cloud computing has been one of the keystone technologies to turn the tide in the age of digital transformation. While the process existed in the early 1960s as well, the concept of cloud computing that we have today was only established properly in the late 1990s. Cloud computing is essentially the outsourcing of computing, networking, storage, and other processing powers to a third party. This removes the need for on-site premises and expertise by basically handing the reins to established data centers run by qualified personnel.
Amazon Web Services was the first to launch the Infrastructure-as-a-Service model in 2006 which allowed businesses to use scalable and outsourced computing power. Soon after, cloud computing became a baseline for successful organizations looking to save money, scale appropriately, and process efficiently. With technological giants like Microsoft and Google soon following suit, cloud computing quickly took off and began shaping a new landscape of remote, automated, secure, and specialized infrastructure solutions. According to Allied Market Research analysts, the global cloud services market is estimated to reach US$ 2.5 trillion by 2031, demonstrating a growth trajectory unparalleled by any other industry.
With the introduction of more advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence, edge computing, the Internet of Things, and 5G connectivity, cloud computing models have been elevated and customized to benefit and fit almost every industry. An IDC Study claims that by 2025, worldwide annual data traffic will increase by 60% to 175 Zettabytes - with cloud computing applications driving the majority of this growth. Additionally, one of the key advantages of the cloud computing model is the sustainability angle it presents.
While building and maintaining a physical data center places a heavy toll on the environment, when a company invests in cloud computing, it massively reduces its energy, infrastructure, and utilities costs – therefore reducing its impact on the environment as well. However, the concept of green cloud computing can also be a double-edged sword when you look at the ironic environmental impact of cloud computing itself. Let’s look further at the effects that data centers have had on the environment.
Understanding the Environmental Impact of Data Centers
The technological sector is currently set to consume 7% of global electricity – a statistic forecast to grow to 20% by 2025, according to Greenpeace. Traditional data centers need ample amounts of electricity, water, cooling, and infrastructure. While cloud computing reduces the impact on the environment by limiting the number of necessary data centers being built, the cloud has also pushed its data centers into demanding more resources to cater to the growing demand. The growth of cloud computing has forced data centers to consume more energy to sustain the multitudes of servers inside – a cruel irony for the sustainability of computing.
In 2018, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that data centers devoured approximately 200 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity – a figure equivalent to the entire energy consumption of the United Kingdom for the same year. A large amount of processing power then generates massive amounts of heat that need to be dissipated. Consider the way your laptop overheats after working for too long – only on a much larger scale. This means that data centers need to invest in cooling technologies to ensure optimal performance and prevent overheating of the servers. These cooling systems will create another paradoxical challenge by often consuming large amounts of energy to run effectively as well. Studies also show that up to five million gallons of water a day is required to effectively run a data center - enough for 30,000-50,000 people.
With power-hungry Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRACs) or Computer Room Air Handlers (CRAHs) in place, data centers are effectively cooling their servers yet still padding the electricity bill in a seemingly endless cycle. Another environmentally devastating effect of data centers is the large carbon footprint left behind. Currently, the cloud has a greater carbon footprint than the airline industry – where a single data center can consume the equivalent electricity of 50,000 homes.
Most data centers rely on conventional energy sources - such as coal, natural gas, and nuclear power. However, this dependence on fossil fuels ensures significant greenhouse gas emissions, contributing directly to climate change. According to NOAA’s Global Monitoring Lab, the global average of atmospheric carbon dioxide in 2023 was 419.3 parts per million, which set a new record high. In 2021, the lab also noted that carbon dioxide alone was responsible for about two-thirds of the total heating influence of all human-produced greenhouse gases. If global energy demand continues to grow rapidly and we meet it mostly with fossil fuels, human emissions of carbon dioxide could reach 75 billion tons per year or more by the end of the century. While it may seem like an endless cycle of innovation that only destroys the environment further, the next-generation data center model seeks to change that.
What Is a Next-Generation Data Center?
A next-generation data center is a more advanced and elevated form of infrastructure that operates more efficiently, effectively, and sustainably. These data centers rely mostly on software-defined technologies that are mostly automated, multi-layered, and more flexible than traditional data centers. This means that a next-generation data center will reduce your reliability on costly and tedious hardware elements – that might also harm the environment. In this way, the next-generation data center focuses on innovative systems that take less of a toll on the environment.
Growing Sustainable Trends for the Next-Generation Data Center
A trend for these newer data centers is the use of nuclear power as a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Like other renewable energy sources, these plants will produce practically no carbon emissions. Another growing trend for data centers is the shift toward compact and closely located infrastructure – a trend that also focuses on the growing shift toward edge computing. This will enhance processing power and reduce latency while offering real-time insight and analysis – making businesses run smoother and more efficiently.
The next-generation data center model also reduces higher upfront installation costs in exchange for futureproofing their cabling, improved cooling and airflow, reduced power and maintenance costs, and fewer resources dedicated to locating and rectifying issues with point-to-point cabling. Consequently, the global data-center structured cabling market will grow to $29.34 billion by 2028.
The future of sustainable next-generation data centers looks even brighter as new technologies come to light to reduce the environmental impact of data centers. This can be seen in the bio circular data center project that was launched in the Paris Region at the start of 2024. A French operator and investor in the data center market, Data4, partnered with the University of Paris-Saclay to start a prototyping experiment that effectively reuses some of the heat produced by a data center. The project hopes to redirect the residual heat created by data centers into more constructive forms - this includes the most widespread option of heating nearby homes, which does however only make use of 20% of the heat produced.
The team is now looking for alternatives to reuse the heat more effectively. This includes reproducing a natural photosynthesis mechanism with some of the captured carbon dioxide to grow algae. After that, it will be recycled as biomass to develop new sources of circular energy and then be reused in the manufacture of bioproducts for other industries.
The innovation manager of Data4, Linda Lescuyer, has noted that the augmented biomass project meets two of the major challenges of our time - food security and the energy transition. She goes on to state that while the project requires close collaboration between all the players in the Essonne region to develop a genuine industrial ecology project, the partnership with the Fondation de l’Université Paris Saclay provides an opportunity to draw on one of the world’s most prestigious scientific communities to work towards a common goal of a circular energy economy.
This is just one of the projects of note that are trying to rectify the paradox of a sustainable data center solution in a practical way. Now, let’s take a closer look at what the future of eco-friendly cloud computing has in store and how clean energy can be leveraged to make data centers more sustainable.
The Future of Eco-Friendly Cloud Computing
As the world is forced to face the consequences of our presence on this planet, we need to make sustainability a focal point of every discussion to innovate. Gartner predicts that around 75% of organizations will have implemented a data center infrastructure sustainability program by 2027. As the global public piques its interest in the way organizations impact the environment, more companies are now trying to stay within a sustainable loop and adhere to ESG compliance and other regulations that demand a proactive approach to promoting sustainability and reducing carbon emissions.
Many data centers are looking toward innovative and sustainable cooling solutions. Liquid cooling is one example that involves circulating a liquid coolant through server components to absorb and dissipate heat. However, while energy-efficient, it can also lead to leakages and maintenance issues. The use of renewable resources is also another avenue being explored to make data centers more eco-friendly. Hydroelectric, wind, solar, and nuclear power options all offer reliable power that drastically reduces your organization’s carbon footprint – often with added incentives from the government.
Most governments and regulatory bodies try to push people and companies to use renewable energy by offering incentives. These include tax breaks, grants, discounts, and more. This helps to make renewable energy a more financially viable option for smaller businesses as well. The ultimate goal is to create an ideal circular economy that focuses on sustainability by minimizing waste and maximizing resource efficiency. This means the reduction of e-waste, repairing outdated hardware, and trying to extend the lifecycle of all materials in a sustainable manner. This will reduce the size of landfills and help to preserve our planet.
Most leading technological companies can easily set industry standards by applying sustainable practices as well. It’s also important to hold these large corporations responsible for making sustainable changes as they consume such massive amounts of energy and directly impact the environment through their processing. Google has pledged to go “water-positive” by 2030 and committed itself to replenishing 120% of the water it consumes in its facilities and offices. With a costly “closed loop” water cooling system, companies like Google and Cyrus One can also recycle some of the wastewater used in evaporative cooling.
Salesforce Contribution to Clean Energy Computing
The cloud-based software company, Salesforce, took the lead in sustainable computing earlier this year when it launched its Clean Energy Program Management for Energy & Utilities Cloud. The project looks to streamline “the launch, management, and oversight of energy efficiency, conservation, electrification, and EV charging programs to help electric, gas and water utilities increase customer participation in clean energy program.” The program allows utility companies to securely develop, launch, and manage new clean energy initiatives while letting customers discover all their available sustainable options.
Kelly James, the senior vice president and general manager of energy and utilities at Salesforce, has noted that the energy and utilities sector has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to guide their customers through the transition to a clean and sustainable energy future. She assures that the Clean Energy Program Management on Salesforce’s trusted AI, Data, and CRM platform will allow energy and utility companies to automate processes and create strong and lasting partnerships with their customers and communities - helping to get to net zero point faster.
Sustainability in the Financial Sector
In the financial sector, sustainable computing has been put on the stand as well. The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has noted that extreme climate events and a disorderly transition to a low-carbon economy could have destabilizing effects on the financial system. In 2021, the FSB published a roadmap for addressing climate-related financial risks that covered four main, interrelated areas: disclosures, data, vulnerability analysis, and regulatory and supervisory practices and tools.
In response to this growing need for better sustainable awareness in the industry, Oracle launched the Climate Change Analytics Cloud Service that allows banks to assess their climate risk. Using AI, the computer technology company’s analytics system provides a simple way for financial institutions to understand financed emissions, address statutory compliance, and mitigate climate change-related risks.
Jason Wynne from Oracle Financial Services has said that while banks work on climate-related financial risks that could affect them directly through their operations, they also need to be cognizant of their effect on climate indirectly through the businesses they finance. He maintains that the Oracle Climate Change Analytics Cloud Service will enable these financial institutions to calculate and analyze the impact of their carbon emissions, as well as climate targets on current and planned investments to get a full picture of the bank’s resiliency and risk around climate change.
Looking to the Future of Sustainable Computing
Fortunately, we seem to be on the right track to a sustainable cloud computing future that emphasizes our planet over the need to advance. While we still have a long way to go to reduce the environmental impact of data centers and cloud computing as a whole, we can always rely on the optimism and zeal of humanity to ensure that our planet thrives alongside our technological advancements. To invest in cloud computing and cybersecurity options that elevate sustainability, contact Sangfor Technologies today and let us help you create a better tomorrow.
