Green data center: An inevitable trend to enhance national competitiveness

Viettel IDC's Data Center system is designed to ensure international standards.

Pioneering enterprises enter the market

Green data centers are designed and operated according to energy-saving and environmentally friendly principles, helping to reduce carbon emissions and improve system performance. In the digital age, data centers are the core infrastructure that promotes digital transformation, but also entails major challenges in energy consumption. Therefore, “greening” data infrastructure is becoming an inevitable solution, both ensuring efficient operation and meeting sustainable development goals.

The rapid development of cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G technologies has increased the demand for expanding data infrastructure, leading to pressure on power consumption. Along with market trends, Vietnam has issued many policies to guide strategies for this field.

The 2023 Telecommunications Law orients the development of data centers towards modernity, sustainability, and connection with national security, defense, and the digital economy . The 2021-2030 information and communication infrastructure planning, with a vision to 2050 (Decision 36/QD-TTg dated January 11, 2024 of the Prime Minister) requires new data centers to meet international green standards, with the PUE index - power efficiency not exceeding 1.4.

In the domestic market, Viettel IDC has been early in applying energy-saving solutions and increasing the use of renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions. Hoa Lac Data Center is operated according to green standards, using high-efficiency cooling systems and solar energy, meeting international Tier III standards.

Viettel IDC also integrates AI, IoT and blockchain into operations management, helping to optimize energy, improve stability and security, and meet ESG criteria (a trio of environmental, social and governance standards that evaluate a business's sustainable development activities).

VNPT IDC also promotes green infrastructure at eight major data centers across the country. The company focuses on investing in smart energy management systems and switching to renewable energy such as solar and wind power to reduce carbon emissions and ensure sustainable operations.

VNPT's data center system applies ISO 50001 energy management standards and international safety and security standards, helping to improve energy efficiency and reduce operating costs for customers. With the development of Tier III standard centers, FPT prioritizes high-performance cooling solutions, energy-saving equipment and renewable energy.

Notably, FPT developed VertZéro, an automated greenhouse gas inventory and management platform, helping businesses meet Net Zero standards and improve transparency in ESG reporting. Mr. Tuan Pham, Product Director and co-founder of the VertZéro solution, said: Applying VertZéro helps automate more than 80% of the internal greenhouse gas inventory process from collecting, updating emission factors, and automatically generating data analysis reports. At the same time, the inventory time is shortened from several weeks to several days, thanks to the integration of APIs connecting to internal management systems (ERP, building management, infrastructure operations, etc.).

Greening to maintain competitive advantage

Along with the wave of AI development, data centers around the world in general and in Vietnam in particular are under unprecedented energy pressure. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), by 2028, AI could account for 15-20% of total electricity consumption of data centers. Auditing firm Deloitte forecasts that Vietnam's AI market could reach 65 billion USD by 2035, in which data infrastructure will be the key factor determining national competitiveness.

According to experts, the rapid growth of the data center market has brought many challenges in terms of electricity, cooling systems, carbon emissions and waste treatment. In fact, the process of greening domestic data centers still faces many barriers: lack of national standards, unstable renewable energy infrastructure, limited investment incentives and a shortage of high-quality technical human resources. These are bottlenecks that need to be resolved soon to improve national competitiveness.

Along with that, ESG has become a mandatory standard for businesses participating in the global value chain. In the Net Zero 2050 roadmap, ESG compliance is not only an environmental responsibility but also an opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to enhance their reputation and attract green investment capital.

According to Mr. Le Ba Tan, Director of Viettel IDC, the scale of the Vietnamese data center market is in a relatively high growth stage. Viettel IDC also follows the direction of combining application infrastructure innovation, developing cloud computing infrastructure and integrating AI in management to optimize resources and enhance security. This is a step in line with global trends, creating an efficient and environmentally friendly operating platform. The enterprise aims to use 30% renewable energy for data centers by 2030 through the DPPA mechanism, combining the installation of on-site energy systems and cooperation with green energy suppliers.

Experts say that to create a systematic shift, data centers need to be green planned from the beginning: from location, design, construction to operation. The fundamental solution is to prioritize high-performance technology and equipment, use renewable energy and integrate technologies such as AI, Big Data, IoT to optimize operations and save energy.

Along with the efforts of enterprises, the State needs to soon complete the legal framework, issue separate national standards for green data centers, develop the clean electricity market and expand green investment incentive packages.

Along with that, training and improving the capacity of technical staff is also a decisive factor to help Vietnam maintain its competitive advantage in the green data infrastructure race.

Tra My

Source: https://nhandan.vn/trung-tam-du-lieu-xanh-xu-huong-tat-yeu-de-nang-cao-nang-luc-canh-tranh-quoc-gia-post918554.html