Data centers, semiconductors and buildings

Data centers (big buildings full of computers storing online data) and data transmission networks are significant consumers of global electricity. This consumption is expected to grow substantially due to rapid growth of digital services. Data centers and data transmission networks cause about 1% of energy-related GHG emissions. Data center use and electricity by services and technologies can double by 2026 due to power-intensive workloads such as streaming, gaming, machine learning, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, blockchain. and cryptocurrency mining.

Data centers in buildings

The growth of large cities is linked to global challenges of environmental sustainability. The urban population of the world is growing. That makes urban energy and material flows to be very relevant for greenhouse gas emissions from cities and efficiency of urban resources. Megacities consume 9.3% of global electricity9. Smart and green buildings need semiconductors for sensors for data collection and processors.

Much energy is used for cooling and heating a house or office building. Traditional heating systems or cooling systems are on most of the time. They are regulated so the temperature is what you want the room to have. But that is now done independent whether you are at home or not. A smart way is to turn on or off the heating or cooling depending on presence of people in the home. It can also adjust depending on number of people who populate the room by smart sensors which detect how many persons there are in a room. The smart buildings learn from the past but also forecasts the future. That requires lots of data. At the same time, it is an investment and business opportunity in a wide range when making the buildings smart. First in the smart sensor area, but also on data analyzing, computing power intelligence, etc. That also offers startup potential by collaboration between startups and the large companies to solve the large companies needs to be able to provide solutions for buildings and cities. Solution should not only be specific for the building. To really make a building smart, the aspect of surroundings of the building is essential, like public services, logistics, etc.

Technologies like smart sensors and energy-efficient systems in large and megacities will reduce their carbon footprints significantly by green and intelligent buildings. While smarter and more efficient buildings and cities reduce energy consumption in some areas, the growing need for data processing and storage in data centers could offset the gains. Then there can be reduced energy consumption of the centers by implementing advanced, energy-efficient semiconductors and other technologies, thereby mitigating their environmental impact in a sustainable way.

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