04 The power source

All data centres are hungry for power , but not all can get it from clean sources . The global data centre industry is set to consume 20 % of the world ’ s power and be responsible for 5.5 % of the world ’ s CO 2 emissions by 2025 , far outstripping even that of the global airline and shipping industry . Irresponsibly sourced power needs to be recognised as a growing risk for all businesses where the reputational , ethical and regulatory costs of a large carbon footprint are an expanding drain on available power increase . Many data centres can operate on 100 % renewable power , and it ’ s notable that most major hyperscale data centre construction emphasises clean sourcing .

JULY 2019