Modern India has adopted digital services at a transformational pace. From a small digital transaction at a village kirana shop to streaming cricket matches while on a bus, India is increasingly tapping into the power of digital connectivity. In numbers, India’s data consumption has increased by 17 times over the last 4 years – an unprecedented growth for a country of India’s size. All this is made possible by data centers working behind the scenes, to store and process India’s ever-increasing data needs.
Rise in data consumption needs more electricity to run data centers, making them remarkably power-hungry. Data centers are one of the largest per capita consumers of electric power & consume 3 percent of global supply. With the pandemic fast-tracking the digital transformation efforts across enterprises and mass transition to remote working, Canalys Global reported that cloud spends were at a record high in Q12020, up 34% during the time. Today, enterprises and telecommunications companies are the biggest drivers of edge data centers. Meanwhile, cloud service providers are already on the edge and are continuing to build out their presence there. While 90% of global companies are adopting some form of cloud technology, only 20% have actually moved their workloads on the cloud. Progressively more Indian firms are looking to revamp into digital-first businesses, with a natural progression towards increased cloud-led innovation throughout the board. As a result, 40% of new enterprise applications in India are likely to be cloud-native by 2022. For enterprises, the biggest driver of edge data centers is industrial automation and using IoT to enable smart manufacturing, but they are also using it for healthcare and retail, the story said.
For that reason, while growing digitalization has enabled economic activity, it has also presented us with a responsibility – to build energy-efficient data centers. There are number of metrics and objectives being introduced to support this process regionally and globally. For example, Europe has set a goal to have carbon-neutral data centers by 2030.
Businesses and operators in the sector have a significant part to play in championing sustainable practices. The industry today is constantly seeking ways to become more energy-efficient through real innovation, both technical and otherwise. The key lies in building data centers in a sustainable and resource-saving way right from the start and this is where the use of a fiber-optic network comes into play.
Compared to copper, optical fiber offers many advantages in building green data centers. Having enough bandwidth is critical to business operations. Fiber technology providers are more likely to offer higher bandwidth to customers which equates to equal upload and download speeds making the systems last longer. Fiber optic transmission can cover greater distances for the same quality data transmission and since it is lightweight the transportation charges are less leading to a better ecological footprint.
Last but not the least, lower diameter fiber cables increase the overall airflow and efficiency reducing operation cost
Corning has been offering optical fiber solutions for eco-friendly data centers across the world, including India. The country is well on track to exceed its Paris Agreement commitments to reduce carbon emissions by 33-35% from 2005 levels. Corning’s data center solutions align very well with this vision. Corning’s EDGE offerings enable high rack density data centers leading to better Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). Data centers powered by Corning not only save operational costs with high-density solutions but also contribute to a greener planet through more effective usage of power. Here are a few examples –
The Green Mountain data center in Norway has been working successfully with Corning solutions for many years. Here, 100 percent renewable hydroelectric power is used, and cooling is provided by the nearby fjord. The green aspect is supported by lower energy consumption by fiber-optic links, in relation to comparable copper links, and the associated savings in cooling and air conditioning.
Corning has also worked with Altice Portugal on a state-of-the-art data center in Covilhã that utilized Corning’s pre-terminated EDGE™ solution. Critically, the EDGE cables enabled Altice Portugal to maximize the energy density of the racks, which delivered efficiency gains and helped to future proof the data center for future upgrades.
Environmental sustainability has become an undeniable business imperative. Issues like climate change & rising pollution are driving corporations to take an active role in finding solutions. They are also becoming accountable by setting goals and publicly documenting results. For this reason, the environmental benefits from green, sustainable data centers are becoming critical factors in choosing the right data center provider.
In meeting energy demands of upcoming data-hungry technologies like 5G and IoT, solutions that deliver better energy efficiency will be pivotal for the data center market in the coming years.
https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/corporate-news/go-green-with-cornings-eco-friendly-data-center-solutions/86367264
