Digital Climate Alliance Discusses Recommendations to Catalyze Data Center Sustainability at U.S. Tech for Climate Action Conference

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Digital Climate Alliance (DCA), a coalition comprised of global technology companies, released the “Sustainable Data Centers: Powering the Digital Revolution” white paper, proffering policy recommendations to improve the sustainability of data centers.

Data centers – facilities that house equipment for storing, processing, and disseminating data – handle vast amounts of information quickly and reliably in our daily activities.

“Digitalization is driving a new industrial revolution. This economy-wide, systems change is forever altering communications, finance, e-commerce, and social relationships, and data centers underpin this transformational change,” said Tom Lawler, Digital Climate Alliance Executive Director. “If we can't live without data centers, then we need to make sure we can live with them. Now is the time for the federal government and industry to prioritize data center sustainability and leverage data centers’ role in solving the U.S.’s climate challenges.”

As connected devices proliferate and data center demands increase, it is imperative that efforts accelerate to minimize data centers' environmental footprints, while also maximizing their beneficial “handprints," which enable other industries to reduce their energy, water, and climate footprints.

Today, DCA members, Jim Connaughton, Chairman of the Board at Nautilus Data Technologies, and Amy Serpliss, Federal Account Executive at Schneider Electric, joined Tom Lawler, Executive Director of DCA to discuss the Sustainable Data Centers white paper during the “Green Data Centers” panel at the U.S. Tech for Climate Action Conference 2023.

They highlighted steps DCA members are taking to reduce the environmental footprints of data centers, including utilizing energy efficient technologies and creating processing improvements that reduce energy and water usage. Yet, as demand for data centers continues to grow, there is a need for the federal government to develop policies that further their sustainability.

The DCA is calling for policies that:

• Enable “as-a-service” models for the public sector, including addressing barriers at the federal, state, and local levels.

• Identify the next generation of performance metrics, trends, and improvements to develop the baseline for future policy actions. • Promote research and development on data center power and cooling efficiency.

• Develop a sustainability roadmap for the data center industry focusing on decarbonization, water, and energy.