Growth requires sacrifice. Try as we might, our species has yet to work out how to develop an advancement without paying a price - be it on land, resources, or human capital.
The data center sector has never been immune to this Faustian bargain, putting the needs of a connected world above local concerns or grid constraints. But, as an industry led by the world’s best-funded, and often most scientifically-minded corporations, it has always done better than most.
Issue 55 - Poles Apart
Building a submarine cable through the North Pole
While renewable energy has now reached a level where it can make better business sense to use (via PPAs) rather than other forms of energy, it wasn’t always so. And yet, hyperscalers pumped money into renewables, losing money in search of reducing emissions.
Similarly, the broader data center industry has pursued sustainability initiatives and pushed to lower the sector’s impact on the world. Some of this has been self-serving - either to lower costs, to win over customers, or to head off regulations - but a lot has come from a genuine desire to do the right thing.
But gold rushes have a habit of undermining one’s best intentions. As the data center industry dramatically increases the scale of individual facilities and reduces the time to market in pursuit of a promised El Dorado, companies will have to ask themselves how far they are willing to compromise on their sustainability agenda.
The data center industry has turned to natural gas to fuel its next stage of growth. A 2GW Meta mega campus will require the construction of three new gas plants; the CEO of a gas company spoke proudly of how data center demand will fund the expansion of a giant pipeline that spans across natural parks; natural gas operators have begun seeking data center operators to set up shop near their reserves.
This, whether one agrees with the compromise or not, is far from the lofty ideals espoused by the industry. Whatever they may now say about it acting as a temporary bridge, or being less harmful than other fossil fuels, it is undeniable that AI demands are increasing emissions at a time when the planet is already hurtling towards disaster.
This is not inevitable. More sustainable approaches, using renewable energy, large batteries, and careful planning, are possible. They just cost more, take longer, and require a lot more work. But we’ve done this before.
As a new US president enters office who is certain to further undermine sustainability efforts in the name of unbridled growth, the sector has an opportunity to show that there’s a different way.