China sets green targets for data centers

BEIJING - China has unveiled an action plan on the green development of data centers, specifying a set of targets to accelerate the low-carbon transition of the sector. By 2025, the average power usage effectiveness of data centers, a metric for energy efficiency, will be lowered to less than 1.5, according to the plan jointly issued on Tuesday by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and two central bureaus. As an important infrastructure for development of new quality productive forces, data centers are among the sectors where energy use grow rapidly in China. The action plan proposed that by the end of 2030, data centers across the country will see their average PUE, and energy and carbon efficiency per unit of computing power reach internationally advanced levels, with the utilization rate of renewable energy further improved. To meet the aforementioned goals, China will improve the layout of data centers, tighten the energy and water efficiency requirements for new projects, facilitate the energy saving and carbon reduction transformation of existing projects and promote the application of energy-saving technologies and equipment, according to the plan.