Technology and the Environment

Digital emissions areresponsiblefor up to 3.7 percent of global CO2 emissions. To help lower this, a focus has been placed on creating net-zero-energy data centers through innovative cooling techniques and AI-enabled energy optimization. Green data centers are at the heart of this transformation. These facilities leverage energy-efficient technologies to house, manage, and transmit data. Valued at $52.1 billion in 2022, the global green data center market is projected togrowat a rate of 16.5 percent from 2023 to 2033. Notable examples of green data centers include BMW's facility in Iceland, which harnesses the region's chilly Nordic air and traditional water-cooling methods to maintain optimal operating temperatures. Similarly,Kao Datais renowned for powering its entire data center operations with 100 percent renewable energy. Some major corporations are committed to achieving 100 percent carbon-free energy consumption in their data centers in the coming years. Google has demonstrated the potential of AI-driven data center cooling improvements,resulting in a significantin energy consumption.