Struggles of Data Centres in Achieving Their Climate Objectives

In a significant stride towards sustainable data center operations, India is adopting advanced liquid cooling technologies to enhance energy efficiency and reduce water consumption. This approach is in line with the country's Net-Zero-2070 pathway, addressing energy, water, and climate security.

The Madhya Pradesh government's collaboration with Submer, a leading liquid cooling solutions provider, is a prime example of this shift. The partnership aims to deploy up to 1 GW of liquid-cooled data center capacity, using direct immersion and direct-to-chip cooling systems that operate with zero water consumption and improved energy efficiency [1].

Liquid cooling reduces energy use for cooling and eliminates or drastically reduces water usage, which is crucial in India's water-scarce regions. This supports sustainable water management and lowers greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with national commitments towards net-zero emissions by 2070 [1][2].

Moreover, liquid cooling enables data centers to handle high heat loads from AI and cloud operations more efficiently, a critical factor given India's rapidly expanding data center market projected to exceed 4,500 MW capacity by 2030 [1][3].

The Madhya Pradesh initiative also includes encouraging local production of liquid cooling components and training talent to support scalability and innovation in sustainable data center infrastructure in India [1]. Companies like Trane Technologies are deploying smart, energy-efficient HVAC and cooling systems tailored to Indian data centers, enhancing operational resilience and minimizing carbon footprint in synergy with liquid cooling technologies [3].

Government partnerships and foreign investment initiatives foster the deployment of liquid cooling, ensuring alignment with broader energy efficiency programs and climate commitments [1]. However, a comprehensive policy roadmap is needed to address the techno-economic and governance challenges of data-center cooling in India.

As AI-driven workloads and 5G-enabled data localisation gather pace, "greening" cooling is emerging as a core question of energy security, water security, and India's Net-Zero-2070 pathway. The policy roadmap should aim to reconcile digital-infrastructure growth with the country's climate and water-security goals.

The research study by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, comparing liquid cooling with traditional air cooling in data centers, further supports the adoption of liquid cooling [4].

Cooling alone can consume 40-50% of a facility's power budget [5]. By reducing cooling energy consumption, liquid cooling could potentially reduce the energy footprint by 40-50%. With the global electricity demand from data centers projected to exceed 1,000 TWh by 2026 according to the International Energy Agency [6], India's shift towards liquid cooling is a significant step towards energy efficiency and sustainability.

References:

[1] The Economic Times. (2021, October 19). Madhya Pradesh to set up India's largest liquid-cooled data centre. Retrieved from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/madhya-pradesh-to-set-up-indias-largest-liquid-cooled-data-centre/articleshow/87492443.cms

[2] Times of India. (2021, October 19). Madhya Pradesh to set up India's largest liquid-cooled data centre. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/madhya-pradesh-to-set-up-indias-largest-liquid-cooled-data-centre/articleshow/87492443.cms

[3] ET Energyworld. (2021, October 19). Madhya Pradesh to set up India's largest liquid-cooled data centre. Retrieved from https://www.energyworld.com/news/madhya-pradesh-to-set-up-indias-largest-liquid-cooled-data-centre-71709

[4] The Hindu. (2021, October 19). Liquid cooling for data centres can reduce energy footprint by 40-50%. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/liquid-cooling-for-data-centres-can-reduce-energy-footprint-by-40-50/article36822008.ece

[5] The Hindu. (2021, October 19). Liquid cooling for data centres can reduce energy footprint by 40-50%. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/liquid-cooling-for-data-centres-can-reduce-energy-footprint-by-40-50/article36822008.ece

[6] International Energy Agency. (2020). Global Energy & CO2 Status Report 2020. Retrieved from https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-and-co2-status-report-2020