Data centres here grappling with sustainability challenges
How might data centre industry work together to emerge stronger.
As data centre developments surge globally, what are some ways data centre operators in the region can grow together?
Data centres are currently built at an astounding pace. How can operators work together to overcome common challenges such as sustainability and the tropics?
Growing importance of water
Data centres use a tremendous amount of water. The precise amount is hard to measure due to differing design and workloads.
But it is a lot.
It is so much that Malaysia weeks ago announced stringent new guidelines for the use of water by data centres. And the rules could kick in as soon as mid-2025.
This matter because many of the data centres today are far larger than those built 3-5 years ago - some pack up to 10 times the capacity in megawatts.
This means water consumption goes up by a similar multiplier. Data centre operators will do well to exchange notes on improving their WUE, or Water Usage Effectiveness.
Energy efficient data centres
Apart from water, higher energy efficiency can result in significantly more sustainable data centres. Today, this is typically measured by PUE, or Power Usage Effectiveness.
The only problem? This can be gamed by various means which I won't go into today.
This is one area that the BCA-IMDA Green Mark for Data Centre 2024 standard hopes to rectify, by specifying where and when power measurements are to be taken.
Similar standards, if widely adopted, could go a long way raising the overall sustainability of the data centre industry.
Interestingly, Indonesia's SM+ data centre operator plans to go for the Green Mark for Data Centres (Gold) accreditation for its upcoming 18MW SMX01 in the heart of Jakarta.
What are some areas that the industry can work together to grow stronger as a whole?