EU code of conduct for data centres launched

Posted on 19 November 2008

The EU code of conduct for data centres launched this week by the European Commission provides guidelines, recommendations and examples of best practice which could lead to a reduction in energy consumption by data centres in Europe of up to 20%. Data centres, housing computer servers for industry, businesses and administrations across Europe, consumed 56TWh of electricity in 2007 and are responsible for almost three per cent of electricity use in the UK. The key aim of the code of conduct is to inform data centre operators and encourage them to reduce energy consumption without hampering the performance of such facilities. This is achieved through a series of best practice recommendations which focus on design in areas such as software, IT architecture and infrastructure. The Government’s work through its Market Transformation Programme (MTP) was instrumental in the development of the Code, which should help save 4.7 million tonnes of CO2 over the next six years. This is equivalent to taking more than a million cars off the road. Several organisations have already indicated their intention to become signatory to the Code of Conduct including BT, TelecityGroup, IOMart, Quest Software and Microsoft. The Green Grid - a global consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centres and business computing ecosystems - also publically indicated its support. Within the next 12 months Defra will be seeking compliance by the main IBM Data Centre used for Defra systems. For further information, see the following websites: Defra press release, European Commission news release & EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres.