At a time in history when the green economy is driving global policies and business choices, a major contradiction must be addressed: datacenters, pillars of digital transformation, continue to be among the most energy-intensive and least sustainable infrastructures.
In addition to high electricity consumption-often still based on fossil fuels-many datacenters use impressive amounts of water to cool servers.
According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Energy, a single large data center can consume up to 1.7 million liters of water per day, equivalent to the water needs of a small city.
In an era marked by drought and water scarcity, this model is no longer sustainable.
As Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft) reminded us:
“Sustainability is the challenge of our time and technological innovation must be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, also recently emphasized:
“Every sector must address its climate responsibility. Digital technology must become an integral part of a zero-emissions future.”
From a cybersecurity perspective, the challenge becomes more complicated:
- Protect critical infrastructure by ensuring availability and resilience;
- Reduce energy and water impacts simultaneously.
A clear paradigm shift is needed:
- Energy efficiency as a structural constraint in design.
- Innovative cooling, reducing water use through air systems, immersion cooling or alternative sources.
- Adoption of renewable energy as standard, not optional.
- Responsible recycling of hardware and optimization of production chains.
We cannot protect the digital future by sacrificing the environmental future.
As security professionals and as citizens, we must demand a sustainable digital transition. Data resilience must walk hand in hand with the resilience of the planet.