Geoclima: a green ally for the data centers of the future
Did you know that every click you make online, every search on Google, every chat with an artificial intelligence like ChatGPT requires enormous amounts of energy?
Data centers are the beating heart of the internet, they host a large amount of IT equipment (such as servers, switches, routers, firewalls etc.) that provide digital services and applications to millions of users around the world and are essential for the development of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, IoT etc.
However, data centers are also among the largest electricity guzzlers in the world. Indeed, data centers require a lot of electricity to power their IT equipment, but also to cool them and keep them at an optimal temperature. It is estimated that data centers consume around 2% of the world’s electricity, and could reach 8% in 2030.
How much does a Google search cost?
Google estimates that a typical search using its services requires the same energy needed to light a 60-watt light bulb for 17 seconds and is typically responsible for emitting 0.2 grams of CO2. Which doesn’t seem like much until you start to think about the fact that 40,000 search queries are made per second. Just do some multiplication to get 240 tons of CO2 per year!
Not just energy, also water
Furthermore, data centers also consume a lot of fresh water, both for electricity production and for cooling computer equipment. It is estimated that data centers consume approximately 3% of the world’s fresh water. This consumption also translates into the liters of water used to cool the servers dedicated to powering the various artificial intelligence products and systems.
Researchers from Riverside and Arlington Universities estimated that ChatGPT training in one of the most advanced data centers at Microsoft – OpenAI’s partner in developing artificial intelligence – directly consumed 700,000 liters of clean fresh water, “enough to produce 370 cars BMW or 320 Tesla electric vehicles.”
Google’s data centers in the United States, for their part, consumed 12.7 billion liters of fresh water in the cooling processes of their IT equipment in 2021.
Luckily there is Geoclima!
But here technological innovation comes to our aid. Geoclima chillers are essential for cooling servers in data centers, and therefore for maintaining optimal energy efficiency.
Our innovative solutions allow us to reduce energy consumption and, consequently, the quantity of water needed for cooling. In a world where energy and water are increasingly precious resources, we are proud to be able to contribute to a more sustainable use of these resources.
Take the Circlemiser for example: they are the most efficient air-cooled chillers on the market, thanks to their cylindrical condensers and cascade flooded evaporators.
This technology allows you to achieve an increase in cooling efficiency of +15%.
But not only. Geoclima chillers can be configured according to the specific needs of data centers, both in terms of size and layout. Furthermore, they can be integrated with other cooling sources (such as Free Cooling or Evaporative System) to make the most of the available natural resources and further reduce energy consumption.
Finally, Geoclima chillers are also ecological, as they use natural or low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, which have a minimal impact on the greenhouse effect.
The future is green
Geoclima’s goal is to help create a greener future, where innovation and energy efficiency go hand in hand. We believe that it is possible to reconcile the use of the most advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, with respect for the environment.
And, to do this, the key is energy efficiency. Our chillers are designed to maximize the energy efficiency of data centers, thus reducing energy and water consumption.
So, the next time you do a Google search or chat with an AI, think about how much energy is being used. And remember that Geoclima is working to make those processes increasingly efficient and sustainable.