European data center operators are embarking on a quest to power the path to a sustainable digital future , but only through collaboration , digitalization and electrification can the vision become a reality .

It ’ s estimated that 80 % of the world ’ s emissions come from the production , generation , and transmission of energy . If businesses can begin to reduce or eliminate energy waste , humankind can begin to benefit on a global scale , and make significant steps forward in the mission to combat global warming .

Looking back to the energy crisis , the reality away from media headlines is fundamentally , different . Indeed , there were no blackouts , no outages , and today the cost of energy is gradually coming down .

However , the fallout remains high , with energyintensive industries such as petrochemicals being mothballed , data center operating costs peaking throughout the winter , and Europe becoming less attractive for Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI ), with greenfield investment projects falling an estimated 15 % to-date .

The good news , however , is that while 12 months ago 70 % of the European Unions ( EU ) energy came from fossil fuels , the continents ’ renewable energy production capabilities have accelerated at a dramatic rate , with almost 40 % of all energy now being generated from renewables .

What ’ s clear is that to drive the green transition forward we must continue to prioritise investments in green infrastructure , renewable energy , and sustainable digital transformation – all of which will be vital to address global warming and solve the challenges presented by the energy crisis .

For businesses and consumers alike , energy security and sustainability are two sides of the same coin and it ’ s estimated that 60 % of all energy produced is lost or wasted . The challenge , therefore , is to find new ways to minimize waste across all critical industries by investing in highly resilient and energy efficient technologies , many of which exist already today .

As the winter fast-approaches , this becomes even more important for data center operators , where geopolitical issues and grid constrains will have an immediate impact on costs , power supplies and increase the risk of downtime . The reality is that the pace of digitization over the last few years has truly been transformative , and the data center industry , which is the backbone of the digital economy , is becoming increasingly accountable .

By 2025 , the electrical footprint of data centers is expected to increase by 50 %, and we anticipate a 500 % growth in data globally . Clearly our digitized world requires an exceptional amount of processing and storage , causing exponential demand for data centers and IT infrastructures .

Ultimately , this growth means energy efficiency and sustainability are paramount to the future of the sector , and as the world becomes more dependent on digital infrastructure , we must encourage the responsible consumption and production of data - ensuring we embed a culture of sustainability in our data center designs , buildouts and operations .

To unlock the new efficiencies and improvements will require new insights hailed from the creation of data . Therefore , the data center sector itself can act as a catalyst for sustainable change , empowering the world to do more , with less , while reducing the amount of energy and resources wasted , and minimizing carbon emissions .