Decarbonising digital infrastructure and urban sustainability in the case of data centres
Abstract This paper critically assesses the complex interplay between urban transitions of digitisation and sustainability. Building on a mixed-method research design, we unpack the challenges of decarbonising digital infrastructure while attending to urban sustainability goals in a land- and water-...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | npj Urban Sustainability |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-025-00203-1 |
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| Summary: | Abstract This paper critically assesses the complex interplay between urban transitions of digitisation and sustainability. Building on a mixed-method research design, we unpack the challenges of decarbonising digital infrastructure while attending to urban sustainability goals in a land- and water-scarce country facing significant physical climate risks. We identify transferrable lessons on the economic, technological, and environmental synergies and trade-offs behind data centre development and argue that stewarding the global data centre sector towards sustainability requires an ecosystem-wide approach. We identify implementation gaps across five key dimensions: technological innovation, policy and regulation, finance, infrastructure, and people. We find that the progress and uptake of sustainability initiatives are often impeded by risk-averse DC operators, who are most concerned with real and perceived risks of downtime. We conclude with recommendations for data centre stakeholders to align the low-carbon transition of the data centre sector with broader objectives of climate resilience, smart city development, and sustainable finance. |
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| ISSN: | 2661-8001 |