The data dilemma

Data centres are growing across Europe as the global economy demands large increases in digital storage space. As a result, making the case for investment in data centres is, on the surface at least, not that difficult. However, for “edge” data centres, and those on industrial estates, carbon footprint reduction is a problem. And time is running out. The EU has taken significant steps towards requiring the data centre industry to become climate neutral by 2030. “Concerns about energy use in data centres are definitely worthy of consideration, especially as data centres require 24/7 operations and a high cooling load to function,” says Christina Hill, global head of ESG and US head of asset management at PGIM Real Estate. “In the absence of a change in the functionality of the equipment, this energy demand cannot be eliminated.” Thankfully, some data centre operators have proven to be very innovative when it comes to energy efficiency. Research from the