Locations Where Running Data Centres is Most and Least Carbon-Intensive

The lowest carbon intensities were found at data centers in Sweden and France, both of which are heavily dependent on nuclear power

The best places to operate data centers are those with the best climatic conditions, according to a recent report. The findings highlight the obstacles preventing the industry from decreasing carbon emissions as well as strategies that companies might use to lessen the impact of their needs for cloud computing on the environment.

In the analysis, which was made public on Thursday by the cloud management solution Cirrus Nexus, energy usage over the course of a week was examined in areas of the United States and Europe where major cloud service providers frequently concentrate their data centers. It then calculated the carbon intensity for each region, a measure of the carbon dioxide emissions per unit of electricity produced.

The report was created to suggest the areas with the least carbon-intensive data centers, according to Chris Noble, CEO, and co-founder of Cirrus Nexus. There is "not a straightforward answer," Noble asserted, nevertheless.

The lowest carbon intensities were found at data centers in Sweden and France, both of which are heavily dependent on nuclear power, although Sweden also has a wealth of hydro resources. The nations also avoided the carbon intensity spikes and valleys that are typical of nations like Germany and Italy, which have the solar infrastructure but depend on fossil alternatives when the sun isn't shining.

Ireland provided a particularly vivid illustration of the changes in carbon intensity brought on by renewable energy. The nation began the week under analysis by Cirrus Nexus with a carbon intensity in the center of the pack in Europe. However, it turned into the dirtiest location in Europe when the wind died down in the middle of the week. But as soon as the wind kicked up again, Ireland shot up to the third place and even produced extra power that it exported to the United Kingdom.

The need for more energy storage was stressed in the report. By doing this, the grid and the cloud computer networks it supports would be able to smooth out the variability of renewable energy sources without having to turn to fossil fuels when the sun or wind isn't shining.

If reducing their climate toll is considered a corporate priority, Noble said it would be prudent for businesses to consider fluctuating carbon intensities when deciding where to locate their operations.

Noble noted that companies that purchase cloud computing services traditionally have had a huge blind spot for the emissions linked to data center operations and that when choosing a cloud computing provider, factors like expenses and proximity to a company's main operations typically outweigh carbon intensity.

The fact that the places with the lowest carbon intensity also frequently have the most costly cloud computing services complicates matters. The paper also notes that in the short to long term, prices may rise even further as demand for clean computing develops, at least until new carbon-free power capacity comes available.

Cloud management platforms are typically used by tech organizations with operations in the cloud to monitor both their systems and their spending. To manage expenses as they fluctuate over time, Cirrus Nexus recommends businesses build their applications so that workloads may be transferred across data centers. However, according to Noble, a rising number of the company's clients have also asked about reducing carbon.

In the end, Noble claimed that consumer demands determine how much carbon is produced by cloud operations. There might be a rush to boost data centers with solar panels or storage if they abruptly inform cloud computing providers that they will move somewhere else unless the service reduces its carbon intensity, according to Noble.