How should data centers be designed to be future-proof?

Energy consumption

Data centers measure efficiency through power usage effectiveness (PUE), which is the ratio of all power consumed by the data center to the power consumed by the IT equipment. A PUE of 1 means that the equipment is using 100% of the energy delivered to the data center. Today, data centers have an average PUE of 1.58, although more efficient data centers, such as those operated by Google, have PUE values below 1.10.

Design consideration: Data centers should target a PUE of 1.20 or below by leveraging efficiency solutions such as consolidating servers, installing more efficient power distribution or units, and managing airflow effectively.

Water consumption

Data centers measure water usage through water usage effectiveness (WUE), which is the ratio of water usage in liters (L) to energy usage in kilowatt-hours (kWh). The average data center uses 1.8L/kWh, while more efficient data centers may use less than 0.5L/kWh.

Design consideration: Data centers should implement systems to track and manage WUE, aiming for efficient WUE values of 1.0 or below. This can be achieved by reducing water consumption through the use of more efficient cooling systems, such as closed loop systems and/or water-free air or immersion cooling, which reduce evaporative losses and save energy.

E-waste generation

Data centers have extensive electrical equipment, including computers, networking equipment, and cooling hardware. This equipment typically has a depreciation or refresh cycle of just 3-5 years, resulting in a consistent stream of e-waste.

Design consideration: To minimize waste generation, reduce end-of-life disposal costs, and promote circularity in equipment supply chains, data centers should prioritize procuring equipment and infrastructure with longer lifespans, easier repairability, and high recyclability.

Heat waste recovery

Data centers generate significant heat and require substantial energy for cooling equipment. However, excess heat doesn’t have to be a drawback; finding creative uses for this heat can reduce energy needs elsewhere and lower operating costs.

Design consideration: Data centers should focus on reducing heat generation and then putting the remaining heat to use. This heat can be reused in nearby buildings or redistributed to the grid, as demonstrated by Meta in a data center in Denmark. Additionally, opportunities exist to collaborate with industrial, agricultural, and community partners to maximize heat reuse.

Embodied carbon emissions

While the majority of data center emissions come from operational energy usage, embodied carbon emissions should also be an area of focus. The use of concrete and steel during construction, along with the repair and replacement of IT equipment over the data center’s lifetime, are major drivers of embodied carbon.

Design consideration: Data centers should evaluate and target low embodied carbon values during the design phase by increasing the use of recycled materials, reusing existing buildings where possible, and incorporating low-carbon building materials available in the market. This approach helps reduce the overall carbon footprint of the data center.

> Click to learn more: Future-proofing data centers: How to design with sustainability in mind

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