In 2020, the evolution and innovation of green technologies in data centers

From the perspective of data center construction and operation, the rapid expansion in the number and scale of data centers has simultaneously led to a continuous increase in data center energy consumption. During this process, it is also evident that the traditional operation and maintenance model, which relies entirely on manual labor, can no longer meet the current requirements for energy efficiency and operational maintenance efficiency in data centers.

Therefore, building intelligent and green data centers must focus on optimal full lifecycle management and integrate intelligence throughout the design, construction, operation, and maintenance stages of data centers to achieve value reconstruction.

Today, there are specialized solutions in the market that deploy intelligent automatic detection, intelligent data analysis, and intelligent decision execution in data centers, enabling effective "monitoring, management, operation, and control" of data centers, ultimately achieving stable operation and maximizing utilization. Among these, AI technology-driven intelligent reconstruction of operation and maintenance systems endows the system with capabilities such as fault prediction and self-healing, while also reducing costs, which plays an important role in developing green data centers.

In general, coordinating data center layout, servers, air conditioning equipment, and management software applications, selecting locations with abundant energy and water resources, utilizing natural cooling sources to reduce energy consumption, choosing high-density, high-performance, and low-power servers; optimizing the hot and cold airflow layout in machine rooms, and adopting precise air supply and rapid heat source cooling measures can all significantly enhance the energy-saving effects of data centers.

It must also be pointed out that overall energy saving and consumption reduction in data centers require a global and full-stack perspective. If energy saving and consumption reduction are addressed in isolation at any single level, it will not maximize energy-saving effects; on the contrary, it may reduce infrastructure functionality and increase construction and operational costs.

An example of these energy efficiency practices is in Stockholm, where infrastructure has been built to reuse excess heat for home heating in the city, elevating the approach to a new level. Meanwhile, in Denmark, a data center developed groundwater cooling as an energy-saving measure. Previously, the data center's summer cooling relied on traditional refrigeration equipment. Now, a groundwater-based cooling system has been developed that can replace traditional refrigerants with geothermal energy. The result is a system usable in both summer and winter that provides sufficient cooling while significantly reducing energy consumption.

Denmark and the entire Nordic region have become leaders in energy efficiency in Europe. Some data center facilities in the region are specifically designed to utilize by-products such as excess heat, and companies like Apple and Google operating hyperscale data centers in the Nordic region have actually earned acclaim.

The massive power supply from sustainable energy sources such as hydropower and wind power combined with the cold climate makes the Nordic region an ideal place to build sustainable data centers. Due to this and the rapid growth of the Nordic market, the industry is seeing an increase in the number of hyperscale data center projects emerging in Denmark and Sweden.

Ireland is another region in Europe where energy efficiency is thriving. Ireland's mild climate makes it very suitable for natural air cooling, reducing electricity consumption by about 40% compared to typical cooling methods. Beyond energy efficiency, Ireland is also a leader in sustainable energy: in 2016, 26% of Ireland's energy production came from sustainable sources. It also has the world's third-highest wind energy penetration rate. In fact, Ireland has set a target to generate 40% of all energy from renewable sources by 2020. Although ambitious, this goal is entirely achievable.

In addition to sustainable energy, data centers operating in Ireland have made significant contributions to energy efficiency by pioneering new approaches to data center design and management, including improved power usage effectiveness and modular approaches to data center design.

Efficient and sustainable facilities have changed the conversation around data centers. Data centers were once considered sources of pollution but are now welcomed for their energy contributions to surrounding communities. Businesses hoping to operate in energy-conscious Europe have also embraced data centers that adopt green energy-saving technologies. Given the tremendous benefits to the data center industry, the environment, and local communities, it is easy to imagine these green energy initiatives as a win for everyone.