The Future of Green Data Centres: Recent Advances and Outlook in Server Energy-Saving Technologies

 Driven by both the dual carbon goals and rising energy costs, the green transformation of data centres is becoming increasingly urgent. As the core energy consumers, servers' energy-saving technologies directly determine the effectiveness of this transition. Currently, server energy efficiency has achieved comprehensive breakthroughs spanning hardware and management.


Core Drivers: Dual Pressure from Policy and Market


Global policy measures continue to intensify, with both the EU and China mandating a strict PUE threshold below 1.3 for data centres. Concurrently, escalating electricity costs make energy efficiency a critical cost-reduction strategy for enterprises. Reducing server energy consumption not only significantly lowers operational expenses but also serves as a pivotal measure to enhance corporate ESG competitiveness.


Technological Breakthroughs: Deep Integration of Hardware and Intelligence


Hardware Innovation: Revolution in Chips and Architecture


Advancements in chip manufacturing processes (e.g., 7nm) substantially enhance energy efficiency ratios. Domestic AI chips have demonstrated over 40% reduction in energy consumption per unit of computing power in practical applications. High-density rack servers, through optimised design, achieve significantly lower annual power consumption while maintaining equivalent computing capacity.

 

Thermal Management Upgrades: Liquid Cooling Gains Mainstream Traction


Liquid cooling is accelerating the replacement of traditional air cooling. Immersion cooling can reduce data centre PUE below 1.1, delivering exceptional energy savings; cold plate liquid cooling offers lower retrofit costs, making it more suitable for incremental upgrades to existing servers and facilities.

 

Intelligent Management: AI-Driven Dynamic Energy Savings


AI energy management systems dynamically adjust server resources (e.g., CPU frequency, fan speed) based on real-time workload demands, enabling ‘on-demand power consumption.’ Practical implementation demonstrates this technology reduces server cluster energy consumption by 18% during peak periods and 35% during off-peak periods.

 

Future Outlook: Advancing Towards Zero-Carbon and Full-Cycle Sustainability

 

Zero-Carbon Computing: Servers will intelligently coordinate with renewable energy sources like solar and wind power to achieve ‘zero-carbon’ electricity supply.

Ultimate Density: Blade servers will evolve towards higher density and lower power consumption, becoming the ideal core for ‘micro data centres’ in edge computing scenarios.

Circular Economy: Green management of servers will span their entire lifecycle, significantly reducing overall carbon emissions through the use of eco-friendly materials and the recycling/refurbishment of old components.

 

Server Energy-Saving Technologies: Illuminating the Future of Green Data Centres


From hardware innovation to intelligent management, and from policy drivers to market demands, server energy-saving technologies have become the core engine propelling green data centre development. Whether through the efficient adaptation of rack servers or the high-density breakthroughs of blade servers, each technological advancement propels data centres towards greater energy efficiency, higher performance, and enhanced environmental sustainability. Looking ahead, as trends such as zero-carbon computing power, extreme density, and the circular economy deepen, servers will evolve from high-energy-consuming ‘computing machines’ into the ‘energy-saving core’ of green data centres. This transformation will provide robust support for the sustainable development of the global digital economy.

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