Huawei states that data centres will accelerate their transition to green practices and aim for carbon neutrality between 2023 and 2027. This transition will involve the adoption of low carbon technologies, such as green power and innovative energy storage solutions.
The data centre industry in 2023 is set to undergo significant changes, as highlighted by industry experts. Wang Bao, the Director of Huawei Digital Power, emphasized the need for enterprise IT to balance budget constraints and the risk of falling behind in the era of digital transformation, driven by cloud technologies and artificial intelligence.
The latest Market Update report by Knight Frank reveals that data centres are becoming an attractive investment option, driven by the rising demand for internet services and e-business. Data centres offer a more cost-effective and efficient IT capability compared to inbuilt servers.
Cloud data centres, due to their immense complexity and workload size, will require a higher degree of automation compared to traditional data centres.
However, the digital infrastructure sector is facing challenges in constructing new data centres to meet the changing market demands. Bao explained during the Huawei Data Centres Key Channel Partner Summit 2023 that the scarcity of available data centre space may lead to increased costs.
One of the major concerns in data centre development is the significant amount of water used for cooling purposes. The combination of extreme heat and drought is putting pressure on fast-growing cloud computing platforms and data centre developers.
As companies strive to meet zero carbon emissions targets, data centres, known for their high energy consumption, face increased scrutiny regarding carbon emissions. The current trends indicate that renewable energy sources like solar power are gaining traction as viable options, particularly for smaller urban data centres.
Aside from incorporating sustainability in data centers, in March 2023, Huawei also partnered with Zain, one of digital service providers in Kuwait, to launch a long-term initiative to accelerate the development of green 5G networks and ICT infrastructures.
