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From video streaming to artificial intelligence (AI), data centers are the humming powerhouses behind our always-on world. These specialized facilities are home to computer servers, often numbering in the thousands.
Massive growth in AI applications and the energy-hungry graphics processing units (GPUs) that support them is now driving unprecedented levels of electricity demand. For example, a search in a popular AI chatbot requires 15x the power of a traditional search engine query.1 Accordingly, data center energy demand is projected to increase 160 percent by decade’s end, from 1-2 percent of global electricity consumption today to 3-4 percent by 2030.2
There are roughly 8,000 data centers in the world; together, they account for around one percent of total global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, according to recent analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Remarkably, this puts the emission levels from these facilities nearly on par with whole segments of the economy, such as chemicals and aviation.
While surging demand for data center capacity presents a challenge, it's also an opportunity. By embracing energy-efficient technologies and automation, data centers can become key players in the energy transition, ensuring a sustainable future for the digital age.
To support data centers, ABB offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions designed to increase power density (a measure of how efficiently data center space and resources are utilized) and optimize energy use — from substations to power protection, from cabling to cooling, and more.
ABB’s solutions for data center operators address a variety of power-oriented challenges, including ensuring power availability, maximizing uptime and increasing energy efficiency. Acting like backup batteries for an entire facility, highly efficient uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems provide reliable power to IT equipment in data centers. If the main power goes out, the UPS kicks in seamlessly, providing enough power to keep servers running and prevent critical data loss. UPS systems are far greener than the diesel generators that have traditionally served as backup power for data centers.
ABB’s UPS systems boast industry-leading efficiency ratings, minimizing energy losses during power conversion. Our smart power solutions, including HiPerGuard and MegaFlex UPS systems, for medium- and low-voltage respectively, address these core needs by ensuring availability, uptime, reliability and security.
ABB offers a broad range of power distribution systems for data centers, from the substation to the facility’s main grid for its support systems and the server room itself. These distribution systems include transformers, which step down voltage from the main electricity grid to the lower voltages used by the IT systems found in data centers. ABB's high-efficiency transformers are designed for low energy losses (i.e., energy lost through heat), ensuring efficient power delivery throughout the facility.
The KCY Cloud Data Center in Sichuan province, China, exemplifies how data centers can achieve significant energy efficiency at scale. With a clear focus on supporting AI applications, this enormous facility boasts a processing power of 500 petaflops (500 x 1015 calculations per second), making it one of the region's largest data centers.
Minimizing downtime and ensuring a reliable power supply were top priorities for the company. ABB provided KCY with a space-saving solution for data center power distribution using high-performance circuit breakers, as well as software for improved energy management.
Data centers are also increasingly seeking ways to incorporate non-fossil energy sources like solar, wind and nuclear power into their operations – and even supply energy generated on site with renewables (e.g., solar installations) into the grid. Microgrids offer opportunities for data centers to leverage on-site generation coupled with battery energy storage systems (BESS) as part of their energy mix.
By integrating renewable energy sources like solar and wind power into the microgrid, data centers can reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. The BESS acts as a buffer, storing excess renewable energy during peak generation and releasing it during periods of high demand, ensuring a reliable and clean power supply for the critical operations of the data center.
The IEA points out that while approximately 40 percent of total energy consumed within a data center is attributable to server resources, an equal share is associated just with the cooling of data center infrastructure, which produces a lot of heat.3 Improving the energy efficiency of cooling systems has a huge payoff for data center operators in terms of both lower costs and reduced emissions.
ABB optimizes cooling with solutions like high-efficiency motors and variable speed drives (VSDs) for heat management applications like pumps, fans and compressors. The ABB motors powering these data center cooling systems run at very high efficiency, saving electricity versus outdated models. Intelligent VSDs adjust motor speed in real-time based on specific cooling needs, reducing energy consumption significantly compared to traditional fixed-speed operation.
Ultra-low harmonic (ULH) drives offer significant benefits for data centers by providing greater energy efficiency at partial loads (i.e., where cooling systems are not operating at maximum capacity). The high power quality, enhanced operational reliability and easier integration and maintenance of ULH drives make them a sustainable and economical long-term cooling solution.
Additionally, ABB offers advanced airflow management solutions that ensure efficient heat distribution within the data center, minimizing wasted energy.
Excess heat from data centers, traditionally released into the atmosphere, presents a unique opportunity for sustainable district heating as well (a district heating system is a centralized network of insulated pipes, usually connected to a power plant, that delivers heat and hot water to multiple buildings in a community). This is a true win-win: Data centers benefit from a reduction in energy associated with cooling, while communities can harness this readily-available heat source, minimizing reliance on fossil fuels.
ABB’s expertise in automation and control systems, including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and intelligent pump control, is instrumental in managing the complex dynamics of these integrated systems. ABB's VSDs also play an important role in optimizing energy efficiency and ensuring reliable operation of heat pumps within district heating networks.
Automating key processes within data centers, such as cooling systems and lighting, with ABB Ability™ Data Center Automation solutions can lead to significant energy savings. Sensors and control systems support optimal equipment operation and minimize energy waste.
Proactive maintenance is crucial for ensuring data center equipment operates at peak efficiency and assets can remain in use for longer.
ABB Ability™ Digital Powertrain solutions continuously monitor and assess the health, performance and energy use of key equipment, including motor-driven systems like pumps and fans, helping to make better decisions for safer, more efficient operations.
Global telecommunications firm Ericsson partnered with ABB for automation of their data center operation near Stockholm, Sweden. The system unifies power management, building management and fire safety systems, providing Ericsson with centralized control and real-time insights. This allows for faster response times to potential issues and minimizes downtime risks, while increasing the energy efficiency of the site.
Footnotes
1 https://qz.com/chatgpt-requires-15-times-more-energy-than-a-traditiona-1851417343
2 https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/gs-research/ai-data-centers-global-power-surge-and-sustainability-impact/report.pdf
3 https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/6b2fd954-2017-408e-bf08-952fdd62118a/Electricity2024-Analysisandforecastto2026.pdf
4 https://www.iea.org/energy-system/buildings/data-centres-and-data-transmission-networks
5 https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-ai-data-centers-power-grids/