Data Centers in a Warming World: Facing the Climate Crisis Head-On

The digital backbone of our modern world—data centers—are grappling with a daunting problem: climate change. As global temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more common, data centers, which house the servers and storage systems powering everything from social media to cloud-based services, are under increasing strain. They consume massive amounts of energy, much of it to cool the equipment that keeps our digital lives running. But when heatwaves hit, like the one that caused outages in London last summer, the traditional cooling systems can fail. So, what happens when data centers are pushed to the limit by a rapidly warming planet?

This article will dive into the challenges data centers face amid a climate crisis and explore the innovative solutions that could help the industry adapt.

Why Are Data Centers Vulnerable to Climate Change?

Data centers are massive facilities filled with server racks, networking hardware, and storage systems, all of which produce a tremendous amount of heat. To function efficiently, these centers rely on intricate cooling systems designed to maintain a stable temperature. However, these systems were built based on historical temperature data—data from a time when heatwaves reaching 40 degrees Celsius in the UK, for example, were nearly unthinkable.

In July 2022, when the UK experienced record-high temperatures, both Google Cloud and Oracle’s data centers in London went offline, causing service outages that rippled across the globe. These events highlighted a critical issue: most data centers were simply not built to handle the kinds of extreme temperatures that are becoming the new norm.

The Growing Energy Demand and Environmental Impact of Data Centers

The digital boom has triggered a surge in data center construction worldwide. But with growth comes a significant environmental impact. According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centers consume about 1% of global electricity. This may not sound like much, but it’s nearly the same amount of energy used by entire countries. And this energy is primarily used to cool down the facilities rather than power the actual computing equipment.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that there’s a 93% chance that one of the years between now and 2026 will be the hottest on record. Rising temperatures don’t just affect people—they also impact infrastructure, including data centers. With each degree of warming, data centers will need even more energy to maintain stable internal conditions, creating a vicious cycle of increased energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Cooling Failures: A Real-World Example of Data Centers Under Pressure

The July heatwave in the UK was a wake-up call for the data center industry. Google’s data center in London suffered cooling failures, causing services to go offline for hours, disrupting access to cloud-based tools for customers worldwide. Oracle’s data center faced a similar fate, with the company attributing the outage to “unseasonal temperatures.”

These incidents reflect a broader vulnerability: data centers in many parts of the world aren’t prepared for such extreme conditions. Simon Harris, head of critical infrastructure at Business Critical Solutions, notes that the “existing data center stock” in Europe and the UK is at risk because it wasn’t designed for these new temperature peaks.

Outdated Design Standards: The Problem of Historical Data

One significant issue with current data center cooling systems is that they’re often based on outdated temperature models. Designers historically planned for peak temperatures around 32 degrees Celsius, a safe range for most climates at the time. But recent heatwaves have pushed temperatures much higher, forcing designers to rethink their models.

Some data center designers, like Sophia Flucker from Operational Intelligence, are now using projected future temperatures to inform new builds. This forward-thinking approach considers potential maximums of 37 or even 38 degrees Celsius. However, predicting climate change is complex, and adapting facilities based on projections adds cost and uncertainty.