Using life cycle assessment to drive innovation for sustainable cool clouds

Husam Alissa (), Teresa Nick, Ashish Raniwala, Alberto Arribas Herranz, Kali Frost, Ioannis Manousakis, Kari Lio, Brijesh Warrier, Vaidehi Oruganti, T. J. DiCaprio, Kathryn Oseen-Senda, Bharath Ramakrishnan, Naval Gupta, Ricardo Bianchini, Jim Kleewein, Christian Belady, Marcus Fontoura, Julie Sinistore (), Mukunth Natarajan (), Lauren Johnson (), VeeAnder Mealing (), Praneet Arshi () and Madeline Frieze ()
Additional contact information
Husam Alissa: Microsoft Corporation
Teresa Nick: Microsoft Corporation
Ashish Raniwala: Microsoft Corporation
Alberto Arribas Herranz: Microsoft Corporation
Kali Frost: Microsoft Corporation
Ioannis Manousakis: Microsoft Corporation
Kari Lio: Microsoft Corporation
Brijesh Warrier: Microsoft Corporation
Vaidehi Oruganti: Microsoft Corporation
T. J. DiCaprio: Microsoft Corporation
Kathryn Oseen-Senda: Microsoft Corporation
Bharath Ramakrishnan: Microsoft Corporation
Naval Gupta: Microsoft Corporation
Ricardo Bianchini: Microsoft Corporation
Jim Kleewein: Microsoft Corporation
Christian Belady: Microsoft Corporation
Marcus Fontoura: Microsoft Corporation
Julie Sinistore: WSP Global Incorporated
Mukunth Natarajan: WSP Global Incorporated
Lauren Johnson: WSP Global Incorporated
VeeAnder Mealing: WSP Global Incorporated
Praneet Arshi: WSP Global Incorporated
Madeline Frieze: WSP Global Incorporated

Nature, 2025, vol. 641, issue 8062, 331-338

Abstract: Abstract Addressing climate change requires accelerating the development of sustainable alternatives to energy- and water-intensive technologies, particularly for rapidly growing infrastructure such as data centres and cloud1. Here we present a life cycle assessment study examining the impacts of advanced cooling technologies on cloud infrastructure, from virtual machines to server architecture, data centre buildings and the grid. Life cycle assessment is important for early-stage design decisions, enhancing sustainability outcomes alongside feasibility and cost analysis2. We discuss constructing a life cycle assessment for a complex cloud ecosystem (including software, chips, servers and data centre buildings), analysing how different advanced cooling technologies interact with this ecosystem and evaluating each technology from a sustainability perspective to provide adoption guidelines. Life cycle assessment quantifies the benefits of advanced cooling methods, such as cold plates and immersion cooling, in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (15–21%), energy demand (15–20%) and blue water consumption (31–52%) in data centres. This comprehensive approach demonstrates the transformative potential of life cycle assessment in driving sustainable innovation across resource-intensive technologies.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08832-3

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