Innovative solutions create environmentally friendly data centres

How data centres affect the environment

The demand for digital services is growing rapidly today. The number of Internet users worldwide has more than doubled since 2010. Data traffic from these users has increased even more, growing twentyfold over the same period. This significant increase is expected to grow at an annual rate of approximately 55% between 2020 and 2030. The data centres and data transfer networks that drive this digitalisation have led to a sharp increase in energy consumption. This is mainly due to:

Data centres require large amounts of electricity to power servers and other related IT equipment. The servers in data centres must be running around the clock, which leads to constant energy consumption. If this electricity comes from fossil fuels, it can contribute to large greenhouse gas emissions that affect the climate.
Cooling is a crucial function in data centres because servers generate a lot of heat, which has a negative impact on stability, security and performance. The most common cooling systems use water and electricity, and both electricity and water consumption can be very high depending on the size of the data centre.

In December 2023, there were almost 11,000 data centres around the world. Together, they represent a large amount of energy consumption and cause up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This energy consumption is expected to increase significantly. According to a new report from the IEA (The International Energy Agency), data centres' energy consumption will double by 2026. In 2022, data centres consumed 460 TWh, accounting for approximately 2% of total global electricity consumption. This consumption could increase to more than 1,000 TWh by 2026, which is equivalent to adding the entire electricity consumption of a country the size of Germany. According to the report, this rapid increase is largely due to the rapid growth of AI-related services and their high demands on data capacity. This growth is placing new demands on more environmentally friendly data operations.

Smart solutions for energy-efficient and climate-smart data centres

The IT industry is well aware of what this challenge entails and is currently working hard to develop innovative solutions. The main aim is to ensure that data centres are operated in a more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly manner. This includes initiatives such as The Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centres, a collaboration between Google, Microsoft and other major IT players. The goal is to jointly develop a systemic approach that will help reduce both energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in data centres.

A Net Zero data centre is designed to have ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions. This means that the amount of emissions is balanced by an equal amount that is either avoided or removed from the atmosphere. This can be achieved through methods such as:

Only use renewable energy such as solar, wind or hydro power.
Reduce energy consumption. For example, by using more energy-efficient servers and optimised cooling systems. Or through virtualisation, where virtual versions of physical resources such as servers, storage and networks are created. This maximises the use of existing hardware while reducing the need for physical equipment.
Recycle the heat generated by servers. For example, to heat other buildings or transfer waste heat to district heating networks.
Minimise electricity and water consumption in cooling systems. This can be achieved by using air cooling where possible.
Carbon dioxide and climate compensation. For example, by investing in forest planting or carbon dioxide storage, thereby offsetting the emissions generated by the data centre.

Using these methods makes it possible to meet the demand for more data centres while reducing the IT sector's energy consumption and carbon footprint. This contributes to a more sustainable digital infrastructure that can meet future needs in an environmentally friendly way.

How Binero works with environmentally friendly and efficient data centres

At Binero, we have a long-standing commitment to the environment and do not prioritise rapid expansion over sustainability, as many global players often do. We know that data centres can be harmful to the environment if they are operated incorrectly. That is why we have a well-developed environmental strategy that enables us to offer energy-efficient and sustainable data centres without compromising on performance, security or costs.

Our data centre outside Stockholm was built in collaboration with our energy partner E.ON and applies a circular and climate-smart model with the highest environmental certification from E.ON. This allows us to guarantee our customers and partners 100% fossil-free data and market-leading energy recovery. This important environmental initiative led to us becoming the first company in the world to achieve the global Fossil Free Data certification. The certification means that our data centres meet strict requirements for energy efficiency, low carbon emissions and 100% renewable electricity.

We have also chosen an environmentally friendly method for cooling our data centres, which allows us to reuse the heat from the servers. Using positive pressure to cool servers consumes a lot of electricity. We have therefore chosen a method where fans slowly push air through a wall with cooling elements. This provides much more efficient cooling, not least in relation to the electricity consumed. Thanks to a collaboration with the nearby district heating plant, we have also been able to take our environmental work one step further. Cooled return water from the heating plant is pumped into the computer hall's cooling system, which means that no electricity is needed to produce the cooling in our data centres. As an additional environmental measure, we can send the heat generated by the computer hall to the heating plant, where it can be used to heat the surrounding area via the district heating network. A perfect symbiosis that reduces environmental impact in several ways.

Available data centres for sustainable operation of AI services

In addition to sustainable operations, we prioritise flexibility, redundancy and security for our customers. We have built Binero's data centre in Stockholm to make it easy for customers to move their equipment in and get started immediately after installation. Our customers are guaranteed high availability with a secure power supply and sufficient redundancy. A common level of redundancy in a computer room is N+1, which means that there is a regular power supply system plus a backup system. At Binero, we go one step further and have what is known as A+B redundancy. This means that we have two separate systems, each with N+1 redundancy. If one system, including its backup power, fails, the power supply is maintained by the other system. When it comes to data centre security, Binero meets the highest requirements with protection class 3 and alarm class 3.

It is very important for us to be able to offer our customers sustainable capacity and security. This is especially true as AI-related services increase and with them the need for power and cooling. Binero wants to be the obvious choice for AI services in the Nordic region while offering the smallest possible climate footprint. Without our customers having to pay extra for it. For us, it is natural to help our customers reduce their climate footprint, and we are happy to help more companies choose the green path together with us.