Climate change: China’s data centres and telecoms networks in Beijing’s sights as key targets for decarbonisation
- China now lists the digital-infrastructure sector alongside traditional heavy-emitting industries when it comes to decarbonisation
- Companies are responding to Beijing’s push, with examples including wind-powered data centres and an underwater facility using seawater for cooling
China now lists the sector as a key decarbonisation target alongside traditional heavy-emitting industries, and has ordered the country’s data centre operators and telecoms providers to conserve water and electricity, to locate facilities in areas with plentiful renewable energy and to develop lower-power facilities and equipment.
The sector’s current carbon footprint is small compared with industries such as power generation and transport. But its future impact on climate change cannot be overlooked given the rapidly growing use of digital technologies in China, according to infrastructure developers.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) underlined the sector’s marching orders last month at a press briefing in Beijing. The ministry will strengthen policies to guide the sector towards green and low-carbon development, such as encouraging companies to deploy data centres in regions with suitable climate and rich renewable energy, said Huang Libin, MIIT spokesman. Meanwhile the industry must accelerate its innovation and implementation of high-efficiency, energy-saving equipment, he said.
The government push indicates foresight, according to Jonathan Berney, chief operating officer at Chayora, a Hong Kong-based data centre developer with a primary focus on China.