TALKING

Countries like the Netherlands are today asking for detailed sustainability plans before granting approval to businesses looking to build new facilities or expand an existing one .

Other solutions such as vertical farming could also provide a legitimate alternative to traditional sustainability mechanisms ensuring that data centre environmental targets are not only met but allows providers to work with local communities to revolutionise the surrounding economy .

Making the concept a reality

Equinix has already taken the leap and has become the first global operator to develop a fully functioning vertical farm at its PA10 Paris data centre , creating a 4,600 sqft . greenhouse which is surrounded by 61,000 sqft . of garden space .

The vertical farm is kept at an ideal growing temperature , using heat exchangers linked to the data centre ’ s chilled water-cooling system with sensors that monitor internal and external temperatures and humidity levels . With such available technology , farmers will be able to make real-time changes to their growing conditions to achieve higher yields at lower energy . This could be a game-changer considering the greater strain on the global food supply chain and the general cost of energy .

Data centres can apply models which are already in existence where specifically designed growth indoor ecosystems allow plants and crops to thrive in unique Growth Towers through automatically generated and applied growth recipes . If space was allocated at a highly secure data centre , either as a power source or as the perfect growing environment , it will provide a key opportunity for collaboration , particularly with smaller scale suppliers who struggle with the startup costs and limited space in metropolitan areas .

Furthermore , while supporting the surrounding ecosystem , an operator fostering such opportunities for collaboration can also ensure that any excess energy created by the data centre is used sustainably to benefit both local businesses and the consumer .

With increased demands for efficiency and sustainability , both data centre and agricultural sectors are under the greatest scrutiny . The idea of data centre and farming worlds collaborating to create a circular economy to help future-proof both industries is not only exciting but unveils a world of new decarbonisation opportunities .

Through digitalisation and electrification , we can now create highly efficient and sustainable infrastructure environments to store , process and transmit data that will help accelerate the evolution of the agricultural sector . Personally , I believe strategies such as this can create a digital blueprint for sustainable food production and support us now and in the future . p

40 INTELLIGENTCIO EUROPE www . intelligentcio . com