YIT is Developing Sustainable Data Centers

YIT is developing sustainable data centers that are autonomous, sustainable and powered by renewable energy. As wind turbines, hydro power and even solar panels provide energy for the data center, the waste heat created by data processing is then in turn sold and transferred to a nearby greenhouse where it helps local farmers grow food products. It can also be sold and transferred to an existing district heating system where the need for fossil fuels can be reduced.

"The process as a whole aims for net zero carbon footprint, so we can safely say that the result is a data center with minimal emissions," says YIT Sweden's business and technical development manager Fredrik Sarvell.

The volume of data we collectively create and consume is growing. It has become clear that tech companies and the data center industry need new facilities to house the mass of data that is being created and processed. Because data processing consumes more and more energy, they also need data centers that are sustainable and climate-efficient to meet the growing demands to be carbon neutral, or even carbon positive.

As part of the concept, YIT can also handle the relationships with the local municipalities in the Nordics. For example, YIT has already scouted certain locations in Sweden and a couple in Norway and Finland that are considered suitable places for building a data center. YIT will sort out the building permits in advance so they are already in place when the project gets the green light to move forward.

"The client doesn't have to negotiate with a lot of different organizations - the only thing the client needs to do is to tell us what requirements and needs they have, and then of course they have to bring their racks and servers into the building," Sarvell points out.