Data Center 2.0: Energy-Efficient and Sustainable

Abstract

Not least since the Kyoto Protocol, improved environmental performance has become one of the frontline challenges of today’s world, namely: a massive reduction in global CO2 emissions to avert or mitigate the climate change. Data centers are hotspots for energy consumption. A popular comparison equates their CO2 emissions with that of global air traffic. At the same time, the information society still needs more and more computing capacity. Modern server and storage capacities are already experiencing enormous growth, while new networking and communication concepts are in turn demanding more computing power. The trend towards the mega data center has to be seen with a critical eye—both economically and ecologically.