DataVita has agreed to meet ambitious sustainability targets in the coming decade.
Data centre provider DataVita has become the first Scottish IT company to sign the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact and commit itself to a carbon-neutral future.
Launched this year, the pan-European initiative has seen more than 40 companies and trade organisations pledge to reduce their carbon footprint and make data centre and cloud operations more sustainable.
As part of the pact, DataVita has agreed to meet 2025 and 2030 targets in areas such as energy efficiency, water conservation, heat recycling, and the re-use and repair of server equipment.
Commenting on the announcement, DataVita Managing Director, Danny Quinn, said: “We’re fast becoming a digital and data-driven society, which means data centres are becoming an even more critical element of our infrastructure.
“Data centres are fast becoming the fourth utility, and with that, we have a real opportunity and responsibility to focus on sustainability.”
The Pact follows the launch of the European Green Deal, which set the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with companies involved supporting the transition to a climate-neutral economy.
The formal agreement builds on DataVita’s ongoing plans to boost sustainability, with a move already underway towards 100% renewable energy sources by generating its own electricity from wind power supported by battery-powered back-up systems. DataVita plans take its data centre off the grid next year, generating its own electricity from wind power with battery-powered back-up systems.
DataVita’s data centre currently has a power usage effectiveness (PUE) ratio of just 1.18 – well below the industry average of 2.0 – and was one of the first UK facilities to introduce an energy-efficient, refrigerant-free air-cooling system.
Capitalising on Scotland’s natural climate, the cooling system enables DataVita to maintain optimum temperatures instead of relying on air conditioning units that consume significant amounts of energy.
Quinn added: “By their nature, data centres can consume large amounts of energy, but the IT industry is also one of the most forward-thinking sectors when it comes to adopting new technology and making positive changes.
“The Climate Neutral Data Centre pact highlights the industry-wide focus on addressing the greatest challenge of our time, and while we’re already making progress with sustainable processes and systems, we want to further reduce our carbon footprint.
“The global focus on sustainability is not limited to the data centre and IT industry. As businesses become more aware of their and their supply chain’s environmental impact, small changes – and their associated energy savings – can make a larger collective impact.”