Data centers globally are leading the charge in green technology adoption. According to a recent survey, 43% of multi-tenant data centers have sustainability initiatives in place. Green data centers combine cutting-edge technologies for maximum energy efficiency and minimum environmental impact.
Why are Green Technologies Important for Data Centers?
Today, climate change and environmental degradation threaten livelihoods globally. Going green is no longer another optional buzzword for brand building but a crucial component in business. New green technologies can help traditional data centers become more energy-efficient and sustainable. The ever-increasing number of eco-conscious businesses provides a ready market for green data center operators. Helping companies reduce their carbon footprint is a profitable venture. Best of all, going green is an effective way to cut operation costs.
What are the Top 5 New Technologies for Green Data Centers?
The ever-increasing data demands in businesses prompted data center operators to rethink their sustainability initiatives. Service providers use innovative technologies to build sustainable data centers.
Server Virtualization
Datacenter infrastructure is directly correlated to energy consumption. With Software-Defined Data Centers (SDDCs), you can reduce infrastructure burdens and boost energy efficiency. SDDCs use virtualized servers and house multiple users per server. This model allows operators to segment their servers and parcel out data storage and processing power on an as-required basis.
IT teams can manage SDDCs remotely via virtual machines, reducing travel to and from the site. Remote management also eliminates the need for on-site IT experts. So, SDDCs don't waste energy on operating temperature and lighting. All these elements of virtualization reduce data centers’ energy footprint. Leading data center operators like Google, Microsoft, Intel, and Oracle have seen substantial reductions in energy consumption using server virtualization.
AI and intelligent monitoring
Innovative data center operators use sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs to optimize performance and improve energy efficiency by reducing power consumption. AI-powered predictive analytics connects different processes, providing a clear picture of the health of all components. With intelligent monitoring, facility managers can anticipate threats and schedule timely repairs. AI also facilitates remote management, automated processes, and sustainable energy solutions for data centers. For example, Atos and HDF Energy partnered to develop hardware, software, and integration services powered by green hydrogen. This solution will use AI to predict data centers’ energy consumption needs and optimize these facilities to green hydrogen. AI plays a mission-critical role in ensuring data centers are energy efficient and sustainable.
Edge Computing and IoT
Centralized data processing efficiency and connected devices have a direct correlation. To boost energy efficiency, use edge computing with IoT. Edge computing leverages the processing power of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices. So, your data center can process and store data closer to users. Running apps at the edge reduces latency and the amount of data traversing the network. It is energy-efficient and improves performance and user experience. Today, AWS and American Tower use edge computing to reduce their carbon footprint.
Hybrid cloud deployments
Traditionally, businesses moved from on-prem data centers to cloud-hosted servers to reduce their carbon footprint. Hybrid cloud deployments combine data centers and the cloud. Container-based hybrid cloud platforms like Google Anthos leverage Kubernetes to decouple applications from the underlying infrastructure. So, service providers can move workloads between the public cloud and physical data centers for different processing requirements. With a hybrid cloud architecture, you can manage resources across virtual and on-prem servers in a unified manner. This flexibility allows your business to exploit green initiatives adopted by multiple vendors. Combining the best of both worlds can help reduce your company’s energy consumption.
Ultra-efficient cooling systems
Servers and cooling systems account for the lion's share of energy usage in data centers. So, using ultra-efficient cooling systems is an effective way to make data centers greener and sustainable. Some data centers use energy-efficient free-cooling technologies and liquid cooling designs. For example, new two-phase liquid immersion cooling platforms deliver unparalleled densities for high-performance computing (HPC) applications. These integrated solutions can be deployed in virtually any environment. So, service providers can set up data centers close to end-users.
Wrapping Up
Green data centers are the future. With 21st-century disruptive technologies, service providers can build eco-friendly and energy efficient data centers. Combine server virtualization, AI, edge computing and IoT, hybrid deployments, and ultra-efficient cooling systems to maximize energy efficiency and minimize environmental impact. Going green is not just responsible, it’s profitable.
