IBM announces game-changing partnership in effort to reduce harmful impacts of modern computing: 'Already making remarkable strides'
IBM has partnered with Clean Energy Capital with the goal of powering its Hursley data center with renewable energy in order to support climate goals.
Following the 2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference, IBM laid out its plans to achieve zero emissions by 2030, building on commitments that began in 2001 with its first renewable energy purchase, according to Sustainability Magazine.
"We have submitted a planning application seeking permission for a solar development for a time-limited 40-year term on land at Home Farm, around 500 metres from the IBM Hursley site," Clean Energy Capital said, per Sustainability Magazine.
"The energy produced would directly power the IBM Hursley site, including IncuHive and the Hursley Sport and Social Club, providing further local benefits."
This move aligns with a positive trend in data center power generation, as more companies look to eco-friendly initiatives to feed their consumption needs instead of relying on burning dirty fuels. Many are building data centers close to renewable energy sources to support this shift.
According to the Department of Energy, data center growth has tripled over the last decade and may triple again by 2028. The International Energy Agency noted that in large economies like the U.S., China, and the European Union, data centers account for up to 4% of total electricity consumption. In at least five American states, they account for 10% of total electricity use.
"Global electricity demand from data centres is set to more than double over the next five years, consuming as much electricity by 2030 as the whole of Japan does today," IEA Executive Director Faith Birol said.
The planned solar project at Home Farm would generate nearly 5 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, according to the Sustainability Magazine report, which is the equivalent of saving over 50,000 tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere.
In addition to powering data-intensive processes, large data centers are notorious for excessive water and energy use for cooling down their machines, although the tech company has made efforts to address that already.
"The IBM Hursley Data Centre is already making remarkable strides towards carbon neutrality by implementing practices like removing redundant infrastructure, adopting innovative cooling systems and leveraging AI to optimise performance," Colin Holyoake, data center design and sustainability manager at IBM, said, per the Sustainability Magazine report.
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"The approach has been holistic and systematic. Reevaluating existing infrastructure is crucial and the industry should prioritise operational efficiency over constructing new buildings."
The company already powers 28 of its global data centers entirely with renewable energy, according to Sustainability Magazine, and it aims to stay on this path.
"We remain on track to meet our current goal of procuring 75% of our worldwide electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2025, and 90% by 2030," the company added.
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