Data Center Handbook, 2nd Edition

2GLOBAL DATA CENTER ENERGY DEMAND AND STRATEGIES TO CONSERVE ENERGY

Nuoa Lei and Eric R. Masanet

Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America

2.1 INTRODUCTION

2.1.1 Importance of Data Center Energy Use

Growth in global digitalization has led to a proliferation of digital services touching nearly every aspect of modern life. Data centers provide the digital backbone of our increasingly interconnected world, and demand for the data processing, storage, and communication services that data centers provide is increasing rapidly. Emerging data‐intensive applications such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and digital manufacturing—to name but a few—promise to accelerate the rate of demand growth even further. Because data centers are highly energy‐intensive enterprises, there is rising concern regarding the global energy use implications of this ever‐increasing demand for data. Therefore, understanding, monitoring, and managing data center energy use have become a key sustainability concern in the twenty‐first century.

2.1.2 Data Center Service Demand Trends

While demand for data center services can be quantified in myriad ways, from a practical perspective, analysts must rely on macro‐level indicators that capture broad industry trends at regional and national levels and that can be derived from statistics that are compiled on a consistent basis. From such indicators, it is possible to get a directional view of where demand for data ...