Sustainability and Climate Actions Dominate 2022 Data Center Trends to Watch 

December 3, 2021 2:12 pm

Mainstream adoption of artificial intelligence and increased equipment integration are also likely, according to Vertiv experts. 

Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, released its annual list of the key data center trends to watch in 2022, headlined by a dramatic acceleration in actions to address sustainability and navigate the climate crisis. Vertiv experts see long-held conversations around efficiency and utilisation in the data center evolving to reflect a more comprehensive and aggressive focus on sustainability. This movement recognises the urgency of the climate crisis, the relationship between resource availability and rising costs, and shifting political winds around the world. 

Vertiv CEO Rob Johnson said, “As we move into 2022, data center operators and suppliers will actively pursue strategies that can make a real difference in addressing the climate crisis. For our part, we continue to focus on energy efficiency across our portfolio, as well as alternative and renewable energy technologies and zero-carbon energy sources, to prioritise water-free cooling technologies, and to partner with research leaders and our customers to focus on impactful sustainability efforts.” 

The actions data center decision-makers take on these fronts will have a profound impact on the digital economy in 2022 and beyond. The urgency of these challenges is reflected in the 2022 trends identified by Vertiv’s experts. Those trends are: 

Data Centers Tackle Sustainability and the Climate Crisis: The data center industry has taken steps toward more climate-friendly practices in recent years, but operators will join the climate effort more purposefully in 2022. On the operational front, Vertiv experts predict some organisations will embrace sustainable energy strategies that utilise a digital solution that matches energy use with 100% renewable energy and ultimately operates on 24/7 sustainable energy.

Artificial Intelligence Gets Real: As today’s networks get more complex and more distributed and the augmented and virtual reality demands of the metaverse become more prominent, the need for real-time computing and decision-making becomes more critical. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning will be critical to optimising the performance of these networks.

The Post-Pandemic Data Center Takes Shape: Some 2.9 gigawatts worth of new data center construction is underway globally – up from 1.6 gigawatts in 2020 (Cushman & Wakefield). Those data centers will be the first built specifically to meet the needs of a post-COVID world. More activity will be focused at the edge, where VMware projects a dramatic shift in workload distribution – from 5% currently to 30% over the next five years.

Drive Toward Integration: Various data center equipment providers have been embracing integrated systems that allow for modular capacity additions for years, with integrated racks and rows among today’s most popular data center offerings. In 2022, we’ll see the next step in integration as data centers work with providers to better integrate larger systems – all components of the power infrastructure, for example – and deliver seamless interoperability.

For more info, visit Vertiv.com.