Data Centers

In the first post of a series dedicated to the measurement of data center environmental footprints we reviewed the conceptual thought frameworks and challenges inherent in this emerging domain, which is both technical and multi-disciplinary. In the second post we outlined the most prominent currently used measurement methodologies, and documented their quantitative prescriptions in concise mathematical form. The main objective in this third post is to start connecting these concepts with actual data, as these are being reported. In this quest we will adapt and use the Equinox platform. Equinox is an open source integrated web and database tool that supports holistic Sustainable Portfolio Management.

In the first post of a series dedicated to the measurement of data center environmental footprints we reviewed the conceptual thought frameworks and challenges. The main objective in this second post is to outline current measurement methodologies and document their quantitative prescriptions in mathematical form.

Concern about the environmental footprint of data center infrastructure is relatively new.¹ In the early stages of the sustainability movement the volume of digital infrastructure deployed in data centers was dwarfed by the environmental impacts of other, much more mature industrial sectors (e.g., transport, manufacturing, agriculture etc.). Hence even as milestones such as the Paris Agreement (2015) accelerated worldwide efforts towards a sustainable economy, the Information and Communication Industry (ICT) sector received comparatively little attention.