Sustainability has become a crucial issue in the data center industry over the past few years, and this trend is expected to continue into 2025. As the demand for data centers grows, operators will need to adopt new technologies and strategies to enhance sustainability. Here’s a look at several key trends expected to influence the industry in the coming year.

1. Increased Energy Consumption in Data Centers

One of the most significant trends to watch in 2025 is the projected increase in energy consumption by data centers. A report by PGIM anticipates that total energy use could double by 2026. Such an increase would likely lead to an equivalent rise in emissions, posing sustainability challenges. While data centers may turn to low-emissions renewable energy sources to meet some of this demand, it is expected that much of the rise will be satisfied through less sustainable energy sources in the short term. Over the year, it will become clearer how severe this energy consumption surge will be and the sustainability challenges it brings.

2. Public Cloud Adoption for Sustainability

Recent data from Amazon and IDC indicated that public clouds are generally more sustainable than private data centers thanks to their ability to achieve economies of scale and efficiency in energy usage. As public cloud solutions are recognized for their sustainability benefits, businesses may increasingly migrate their workloads to these platforms as part of their sustainability strategies, shifting the narrative around cloud adoption.

3. Edge Data Centers as a Sustainable Option

To improve sustainability, there is potential in placing smaller edge data centers in locations with abundant renewable energy and resources. Although relocating large-scale data centers may not be feasible, investing in edge data centers—typically smaller and sometimes mobile—could enhance sustainability outcomes. They can be strategically deployed in areas with significant resource advantages, even adapting their locations based on availability of renewable energy.

4. Growing Importance of Water in Sustainability Discussions

In addition to energy, water usage in data centers is emerging as a critical sustainability issue. With increasing groundwater shortages, data center operators will need to focus on more efficient water usage. This trend is likely to persist as the industry expands and as water becomes an increasingly limited resource.

5. Demand for Transparency in Sustainability Reporting

The complexities of measuring sustainability efforts in data centers have highlighted inconsistencies in reporting practices. In 2025, there may be a significant push for more transparent reporting mechanisms. Efforts to establish "nutrition labels" for data centers could be initiated, offering clearer metrics for sustainability practices. Although this initiative may initially be voluntary, regulatory interest in transparent sustainability data could drive more operators to adopt open reporting methods.

6. Fine-Tuning for Sustainability Improvements

While macro-level strategies to enhance overall sustainability are important, there exists potential for focused micro-level optimizations. For instance, selecting energy-efficient hardware or optimizing application logic can reduce energy waste at the individual server or workload level. However, these practices may be challenging for colocation providers who lack control over hardware and software. As operators seek more inventive strategies for sustainability, there may be a growing emphasis on optimizing individual components within data centers.

In summary, data center operators face numerous challenges and opportunities in their quest for sustainability as they look towards 2025. Increased awareness and proactive steps in these trends could help the industry better navigate the complexities of sustainability while meeting the evolving demands of technology and society.

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