While it may not be as flashy as Valentine’s Day or as sugary as National Doughnut Day, today marks International Data Centre Day (IDCD) – the day we celebrate the unsung heroes of the digital world: data centres.
These mysterious buildings full of blinking lights, humming servers, and enough cables to tie up a small city quietly keep your favourite apps, websites, and Cloud storage running 24/7.
Organised by not-for-profit critical infrastructure workers organisation 7×24 Exchange International, it’s a global initiative dedicated to raising awareness of the vital infrastructure powering digital ecosystems.
“Our goal for this initiative is to raise awareness of the data centre industry and to share the vast variety of careers that are available for the next generation of professionals,” says Julianne Ierulli, the body’s Vice President for Marketing at 7×24 Exchange International. “By sharing how data centres make a difference in our daily lives and the career opportunities, we are helping to ensure the future of the industry.”
Digital spring cleaning
Yet with the increasing power demands from AI data centres, industry experts are also calling on the general public to make today time for an annual ‘spring clean’ to tackle digital waste and rising energy use.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centre electricity demand is set to more than double by 2030, reaching approximately 945 terawatt-hours — slightly exceeding Japan’s annual electricity consumption.
Although it is impossible to calculate precisely, the entire ICT sector is estimated to account for about 1.4 per cent of global CO2 emissions, according to Professor Aoife Foley, IEEE Senior Member and Chair in Net Zero Infrastructure at The University of Manchester.
The rise of artificial intelligence adds further complexity. AI workloads are significantly more energy-intensive than traditional computing tasks, increasing the strain on data centres. While investments in renewable energy and advanced cooling technologies are helping, they do not fully address the underlying inefficiencies.
“Infrastructure and operations leaders need to consider unnecessary data storage waste and commit to renewable energy. By eliminating unstructured data and improving operational efficiency, organisations can lower maintenance costs and improve regulatory compliance,” he says.
“Hyperscale operators are investing in renewable energy, and innovations like liquid immersion and direct-to-chip cooling systems add efficiencies, yet they only address the symptoms. Smarter model optimisation and closer alignment between data centre strategy and regional renewable generation are needed to reduce deeper inefficiencies and water resource pressures.”
