How Server Farms Are Going Green

If it wasn’t for server farms, our digital lifestyles wouldn’t exist. By operating around the clock, these massive banks of network servers keep the websites we visit, the apps we use, and the smart systems around us online and connected.

Hosting everything from online casinos that allow you to experience exclusive titles to cloud storage that keeps your precious data safe, these server farms deal with staggering amounts of data. And to do this, they consume staggering amounts of resources.

Server Farm Resource Utilization

Recent studies have shown that server farms account for almost 1% of global power usage. This figure, which is calculated by estimating how much each server farm (or data center) around the world uses, places server farms close to the usage of the entire aviation industry.

Although smaller server farms may only use between one and five megawatts of power per day, larger centers (particularly the supersized ones found in places like Silicon Valley) can consume almost 100 MW—enough to power 16,400 average US homes daily. 

This number has dramatically increased with the continuous expansion of AI (artificial intelligence) systems. Due to the raw processing power these servers require, AI servers can consume up to 60 kW of energy per rack. 

Moreover, server farms consume not only power but also excessive amounts of water to cool components and ensure they operate at their best. A 2021 report revealed that Google used almost 3.3 billion gallons of water to cool its server farms in the US alone. When factoring in the company’s international locations, this number increases significantly. 

Why Server Farms Are Going Green

Due to the extensive resources they consume, many server farms are seeking more sustainable solutions or to “go green” entirely. Multiple reasons, some more notable than others, are urging this movement forward.

Environmental Responsibility

As awareness about climate change and the dangers of greenhouse gas emissions continues, greater pressure has been placed on companies operating server farms to reduce their footprint and energy consumption.

This pressure has led to many corporations accepting their role in mitigating the effects of their operations and attempting to find better, more sustainable ways to operate. 

Economic Benefits

Aside from pressures from activists and the general public, renewable energy sources have advanced significantly in recent years—becoming more cost-competitive with traditional sources of power. As a result, more companies are exploring the potential economic benefits of migrating to greener alternatives.

Although costly initially, this move to greener power sources can help reduce a company’s long-term operational costs and boost its image. Additionally, having renewable energy helps shield server farms from fluctuations in the price of electricity.

Governmental Support

The final major reason many server farms are going green is government incentive schemes that aim to make the transition beneficial. These schemes, which provide incentives, subsidies, and tax breaks, are a major part of many governments’ plans to encourage greener living. 

As such, many of these incentives encourage immediate migration to greener power sources through the provision of large grants or subsidies that help mitigate the initial cost of installation. This action addresses the most expensive point in going green and has helped many more companies take the plunge.

How Server Farms Are Going Green

Despite the misconception that the only way server farms are going green is by reducing their reliance on fossil fuel power generation, moving to greener operations typically occurs via one of four methods.

Renewable Power

The first has already been mentioned and remains among the most popular ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: switching to renewable power sources. This could include opting to use solar, wind, or hydroelectric power rather than the national grid, which is often powered by fossil fuels.

While the most expensive way to make a greener change is switching to renewable energy, it is also one of the most efficient. This is because power consumption is the primary factor causing server farms to have such a large environmental impact.

Energy-Efficient Systems and Hardware

Aside from how these farms draw power, many companies also focus on the hardware that makes up the farm. Older equipment tends to draw more power and provide less processing power, while modern options have been specifically designed to be energy-efficient and powerful.

By replacing outdated or redundant equipment (such as server racks, network links, etc.) with newer, more modern hardware, server farms can reduce the amount of power consumed, which in turn reduces each farm’s environmental impact.

Cooling Systems

The cooling of server farms has also been a growing concern due to the sheer volume of water required to cool each server efficiently. However, new technologies have helped mitigate the effects of cooling equipment and reduced the reliance on water.

Among these technologies are free-air cooling, evaporative cooling, and liquid cooling (using liquids other than water). Each of these reduces the environmental impact of keeping a server farm cool and helps equipment run more efficiently, reducing the power it requires.

Virtualization

The final way server farms are going green is through the expanded use of virtualization. This technology allows multiple servers to operate on a single physical server unit, providing multiple customers with server resources without needing as much hardware.

Virtualization has allowed server farm owners to downscale operations without sacrificing the number of clients they can service. This reduction in hardware has a compound effect, lowering power consumption and other factors.

The Future Looks Greener

The trend of server farms in the US and internationally toward going green is an admiral initiative. Many huge names in the industry have already made steps toward doing this, such as Facebook’s Prineville site using direct evaporative cooling and Microsoft’s Cheyenne site utilizing hydroelectric power.

With the hurdles of high initial costs and the intermittency of power sometimes associated with renewable energy still needing to be factored in, there is no telling if all server farms will make this move. However, for each one that does, the world becomes a better, more sustainable place to live.

Written by Austin Crane

Austin is the principle web director for Untamed Science and Stone Age Man. He is also the web-director of the series for the High School biology, Middle Grades Science and Elementary Science content. When Austin isn't making amazing content for the web, he's out on his mountain bike or in a canoe.

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