EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
This has become an increasingly important topic due to many governments around the world signaling ambitious plans to achieve net zero in the next 20 to 30 years . By one research estimate , by 2025 , the IT industry could be using 20 % of all electricity produced and emitting up to 5.5 % of the world ’ s carbon emissions . To put that into perspective , Statista reports there were over 6,000 data centers worldwide in 2022 and International Energy Authority ( IEA ) estimated data centers accounted for 1 %– 1.5 % of global electricity use emitting nearly 1 % of energy related GHG emissions . IEA predicts energy use is increasing by 10 %– 30 % per year , so there must be urgent focus on how to make data centers more sustainable because their importance to organizations in this digital era is only going to increase .
As organizations move more applications to the cloud , business leaders face both internal and external pressures around data center strategies . Internally , there is a danger that capital and operational expenditure on facilities – and the applications they run – could grow exponentially for any company expanding its footprint and infrastructure . Business leaders must also manage stakeholder expectations , as Environment Social and Governance ( ESG ) is now on the agenda for investors , employees and customers . It is critical to demonstrate how CEOs can make their organizations more sustainable in alignment with the values and beliefs of their key stakeholders . Therefore , the sustainability level of your data center facilities should be seen as a reputational issue that could affect the bottom-line .
There is a strong understanding now among business leaders that it is essential for business operations and long-term profitability to pursue and consistently enact sustainability practices throughout the entire enterprise . How organizations manage their use of data centers will be integral to their ability to thrive moving forward . Unless organizations fulfill their commitments to reducing carbon emissions in the data center , customers may walk away and policy makers may impose even more stringent regulations . p
Policy makers are also applying pressure for change . For example , the European Union has launched its Green Cloud and green data centers strategy . In response , many organizations aim to have net-zero emissions by the year 2050 . As such , data centers must become increasingly energy efficient , reuse waste energy and use greater renewable energy sources .
STEVEN SALAETS , CIO AND EVP , GLOBAL SHARED
SERVICES , RIMINI STREET
www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO NORTH AMERICA 35