The more than 4,000 data centers in the United States consumed about 185 TWh of electricity in 2022, enough to power Ireland all year. By 2026, experts predict that American data centers will require some 255 TWh, or 6% of all energy consumed nationally.
The search for green data center solutions is urgent for enterprises, cloud providers, and hyperscalers. Technology advancements in fiber optics may hold the key to sustainable information processing.
What Is a Green Data Center?
Green data centers are engineered, built, and operated in ways that prioritize energy efficiency, sustainability, and environmentally responsible resource management. The goal is to minimize the environmental impact of the data center’s IT infrastructure, both locally and in connection with climate change.
The definition of a green data center is flexible enough that each organization can decide how best to achieve sustainability targets in relation to its operations. Here are a few ways that enterprises are tackling the challenge:
- Reducing electricity usage through energy-efficient network hardware
- Using renewable energy sources exclusively or primarily, such as wind and solar power
- Minimizing local consumption of natural resources, especially water
- Improving IT maintenance and extending equipment lifecycles
- Taking local flora and fauna into account during construction, such as reducing the building’s total footprint
- Reducing the organization’s carbon footprint in areas like commuting, corporate travel, and the equipment supply chain
In some cases, data centers are literally becoming green. From rooftop gardens and natural cooling systems to landscaping that fits the local environment and minimizes resource consumption, these efforts can contribute to more sustainable operations.
How Do Fiber Optics Contribute To Sustainable Data Center Development?
There are benefits to both copper cables and optical fibers, but fiber optic advancements are widening the gap when it comes to sustainability.
Efficient Power Consumption
Cable to cable, optical transceivers require more electricity than copper options like DAC, but when you consider the higher bandwidth capacity and increased transmission distance, fiber-optic data center solutions often win by a large margin.
These energy efficiency benefits are especially noticeable with newer transmission technologies like Active Optical Cables. AOCs for 100G QSFP28 only require about 2W. Considering the hundreds or thousands of connections in the average data center, the effects of optical fiber transformation can have a significant impact on overall facility power consumption.
Reduced Infrastructure Needs and Cabling Footprint
Today’s fiber optics can transmit vast amounts of data more efficiently than ever before. Current standards support data transmission rates of up to 800 Gb/s using dual 400G modules and 8x100G lanes.
Multimode optical fiber is fully capable of supporting 400G connections in a single cable of up to 30 meters. Copper cables can achieve the same transfer rates, but they’re quickly running into a wall as ranges peak at 3 meters. In practice, this often means running multiple cables and connections to achieve what a single fiber-optic cable with breakouts can accomplish.
Less cabling and reduced infrastructure needs translate into lower manufacturing demands for cabling, transceivers, signal enhancers, and other equipment. Industry leaders are already targeting the 1.6 Tb/s threshold, which should streamline infrastructure requirements even more.
Longer Performance Lifecycle
High-performance optical cables offer long operational lifecycles. They also tend to require limited maintenance when properly installed. Not needing to replace cables as often reduces a data center’s e-waste and avoids contributing to landfill contamination.
Lower Cooling Requirements and Improved Airflow
The diameter of copper cables is much larger than comparable optical fibers. Not only does the sleek design of fiber optics reduce clutter, but it also allows for greater airflow between racks. In turn, improved airflow reduces the amount of energy needed for cooling.
Copper cabling faces electrical resistance, which increases with distance. The result is that copper generates more heat, which requires more cooling.
Why Are Green Data Center Solutions Important for Modern Operations?
The main driver behind implementing green data center improvements should be a genuine desire to reduce the organization’s environmental impact. Natural disasters caused by climate change have significant costs for enterprises. That said, there are also solid financial reasons to pursue sustainable data center operations.
Scaling Energy Usage and Grid Instability
Projections that account for AI investments and increased user adoption show data centers in the U.S. more than tripling energy usage in just five years. At 1 GWh (1,000 TWh) of power consumption, American data centers would use as much energy as the country of Japan.
In addition to triggering skyrocketing electricity prices for facility owners, this situation threatens grid stability in many regions. Blackouts are a major danger for sensitive data and enterprise networks.
Energy Costs
Energy accounts for a growing percentage of data center operating costs. In other words, green data centers aren’t just good for the planet. They’re also good for your organization’s bottom line. To minimize costs and maximize the potential for profitability, AI data centers need to implement energy efficiency at every opportunity.
Public Perception
As news of the environmental impacts of traditional data centers becomes more well-known, public perception of facilities and related brands is headed in a downward direction. Concerns about water and energy usage are growing.
In some countries, ESG policies are making their way into government regulations that potentially impact data center operations. In this environment, green data center initiatives are an investment in future growth.
How Can Your Organization Implement Green Data Center Solutions?
Before you can create an effective pathway to sustainable, energy-efficient operations, you need to identify the areas that are consuming the most resources. Auditing energy usage and monitoring data center infrastructure lifecycles is a good place to start. The ISO50001:2018 framework provides a standardized approach to more efficient data processing activities.
Green facility design promotes efficient cooling with hot and cold aisles for improved airflow. Instead of massive HVAC units, data centers in some locations use heat pumps to distribute and dissipate heat naturally. Others choose liquid immersion cooling for high-demand servers, dramatically improving heat reduction compared to air-cooled systems.
Green Data Center Solutions Made Simple and Cost-Effective
Shifting to fiber optics for green data centers is more cost-effective than you may think. At Equal Optics, we stock high-performance, energy-efficient fiber-optic cables and transceivers that are compatible with OEM hardware. Request a quote today.
