Headed by Dr. Deborah Andrews, Associate Professor of Design at LSBU, the Circular Economy for the Data Centre Industry (CEDaCI) project aims to make data centres more sustainable.
What is a data centre?
A data centre is any building, group of buildings or dedicated space which houses information technology, data processing and storage equipment. There are currently 8.6 million data centres around the world, with the industry predicted to grow an astounding 500% by 2030.
At present, just 10 percent of the critical raw materials (CRM) from the data centre sector are recycled and recovered. The CEDaCI project is vital, working to increase reclamation of Critical Raw Materials in the sector, extend product life through equipment reuse and reduce the use of virgin materials, waste and environmental impact arising from the growth in redundant equipment.
Reaching out
The established team is interdisciplinary and consists of a complex network of experts and partners: data centre operators and consultants, equipment designers and manufacturers, reuse and re-manufacturers, metals recycling and reclamation companies, experts in consumer and end-user behaviour, as well as policy developers and influencers.
CEDaCI relies on ongoing participation across the data centre sector in Europe, in order for the required knowledge and experience to be leveraged.
“The project’s success and the future of the sector are dependent on the various actors coming together to develop a dedicated bespoke Circular Economy,” Deborah explains. “But at the moment members of the various sub-sectors do not converse.
The project’s success and the future of the sector are dependent on the various actors coming together to develop a dedicated bespoke Circular Economy,” Deborah explains. “But at the moment members of the various sub-sectors do not converse.
What is a data centre?
A data centre is any building, group of buildings or dedicated space which houses information technology, data processing and storage equipment. There are currently 8.6 million data centres around the world, with the industry predicted to grow an astounding 500% by 2030. It’s a sector which demands uninterrupted customer service, whether in co-location facilities (where customers deploy their own servers, networks and storage hardware) or in the huge hyperscalers (company-owned facilities) constructed by companies such as Facebook and Google.