Data centers require immense amounts of power to function, which leads to carbon emissions. However, some sustainability leaders say that data centers, which power generative artificial intelligence, can actually be sustainable in the long run.
Data centers are specialized physical buildings that store computer systems and the like. These centers are also used to train AI models. According to Goldman Sachs Research, power demand from data centers, driven by AI, will increase by 50 percent by 2027, and up to 165 percent by 2030.
Stefano Resi, Head of Data Center, Nokia, Middle East, and Africa, said although data centers use a lot of energy, they can also help decrease energy consumption and reduce the carbon footprint of the entire population. He recalled how during the COVID-19 lockdown, the number of oil and gas consumption decreased, saying, “we could do that. So, there was a number of reductions of the carbon footprint, thanks to the digitalization journey.”
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Speaking at a panel session during The Journey to Net Zero event hosted by KT Events, a Khaleej Times division, Resi explained, “The data center will continue to consume more power moving into the [near] future, [but] there will be a layer of very small data centers, going all around the city and the counties. This will create more efficiency.”
Rise in data centers
General Manager of Al Masaood Power, Rasso Bartenschlager, who was also speaking at the session, said that data centers could double or triple over the next five years. “This means that the electricity supply to these sources is growing dramatically,” he said. Currently, there are 10,709 data centers in the world, with the UAE housing 57, according to Data Center Map.
However, Bartenschlager emphasized that because the UAE is a stable government that doesn’t have regular power handovers, it has an advantage over other countries due to “demand and because of availability, there is a drive towards sustainable data centers,” he said.
Russo said that we are seeing a lot of initiatives, especially in the UAE, for the push in renewable energy, but that there’s a “little bit of lag.” He said, “implementation of renewable energy is not going at the same pace as what we are hearing. Especially when it comes to fueling or powering up the data center.”
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