Power-guzzling Data Centres And The Need To Cut Their Carbon Footprint

India is at the cusp of a data centre evolution, with mobile data traffic, emerging services and technologies such as streaming, cloud-based services, blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and virtual reality driving demand for data services. Data centres are large buildings that provide space, power, and cooling for IT infrastructure and are filled with servers and storage systems. By 2025, India is likely to host 183 data centres with about 24 million sq. ft and at least 1,752 MW of total IT capacity. Data centres are energy-intensive and are responsible for one per cent of energy-related GHG emissions. The government’s focus on creating an ecosystem for sustainability has an impact on the data centre industry, leading to the need for more advanced and energy-efficient cooling solutions.