Tools Towards the Sustainability and Circularity of Data Centers

Mohamed Sameer Hoosain (), Babu Sena Paul (), Susanna Kass () and Seeram Ramakrishna ()
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Mohamed Sameer Hoosain: Institute for Intelligent Systems at the University of Johannesburg
Babu Sena Paul: Institute for Intelligent Systems at the University of Johannesburg
Susanna Kass: Stanford University
Seeram Ramakrishna: National University of Singapore

Circular Economy and Sustainability, 2023, vol. 3, issue 1, 173-197

Abstract: Abstract We are living in an age when data centers are expanding, require abundant spaces, and are an integral part in the urban communities, using massive amounts of environmental resources, and remains in the foreseeable future as the primary driver of the global energy consumption. This demand is disruptive and at times of both peril and opportunity due to impacts such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which is altering the demand of digital infrastructure around the world. With the global call for zero carbon emissions, there needs to be solutions put in place for the de-carbonization of data centers. New innovations are made available, which will have an economic, social, and environmental impact on data centers. Concepts such as circular economy and fourth industrial revolution technologies are useful procedural tools that can be used to systematically analyze data centers, control their mining and critical raw materials, can be utilized in the transition towards a sustainable and circular data center, by objectively assessing the environmental and economic impacts, and evaluating alternative options. In this paper, we will look at the current research and practice, the impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development goals, and look at future strides being taken towards more sustainable and circular data centers. We had discovered that decreasing the environmental effect and energy consumption of data centers is not sufficient. When it comes to data center architecture, both embodied and operational emissions are critical. Data centers also have a vital societal role in our daily lives, enabling us to share data and freely communicate via social media, transacting on the blockchain with cryptocurrencies, free online education, and job creation. As a result, sustainability and efficiency measures have expanded in a variety of ways, including circularity and its associated tools, as well as newer technologies.

Keywords: Data centers; Sustainability; Circular economy (CE); Fourth industrial revolution (4IR); United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s43615-022-00191-9

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