DCYB
Book
Back to DCYB
/ 03 — Sustainability

Powering AI responsibly.

The systems that power the AI era cannot cost the planet. Uptime 2026 confirms global PUE has held flat near 1.56 for the sixth straight year, even as power demand surges. The next decade is about doing more with less. Cleaner power, smarter cooling, and a workforce that knows how to build it.

All figures below are sourced. See bottom of section.

/ CapacityJLL 2026
~100
GW added
Global supply, 2026 to 2030
Total reaches ~200 GW
/ US DemandS&P Global 2026
366
TWh
US DC electricity, 2025
→ 728 TWh by 2030
/ EfficiencyUptime 2026
1.56
PUE
Global average, flat 6th year
From 2.50 in 2007
/ Build CostJLL 2026
$11.3M
per MW
Avg DC construction, 2026
+6% year over year
FIG. 01 · Global data-center capacity buildout

Global capacity doubles by 2030. AI is the driver.

Solid bars are reported. Striped bars are JLL projections. Reaching 200 GW by 2030 means roughly 100 GW added across just five years.

Unit: GW
Source: JLL · Global DC Outlook 2026
0501001502006020207520229520241102026e1552028e2002030eGW
FIG. 02 · Industry-average PUE

Each new watt does more work.

Lower is better. Power Usage Effectiveness has fallen from 2.50 to 1.56 in 17 years. Best-in-class hyperscalers run at 1.10. Uptime 2026 notes the global average has held flat for the sixth straight year.

1.01.52.02.5200720112015201920241.562.50
Source: Uptime Institute 15th Annual Global DC Survey, 2026
FIG. 03 · Cooling energy by technology

The cooling stack matters.

Relative facility cooling energy, indexed to legacy raised-floor air at 100. Liquid and immersion architectures cut cooling energy roughly in half.

Air (legacy raised-floor)100Air (free / economizer)32Liquid cold-plate65Direct-to-chip55Immersion48050100
Source: Industry benchmarks, cross-referenced in 2026 outlooks
/ The levers we work with
L.01

Liquid and immersion cooling

Moves heat far more efficiently than air. Direct-to-chip and immersion cut facility cooling energy 35 to 55% versus legacy raised-floor air, and unlock the 80 kW+ AI racks now standard in 2026 buildouts.

L.02

Hyperscaler-led clean energy

S&P Global 2026 reports the top four US hyperscalers account for more than 61% of tracked corporate clean energy procurement. Power purchase agreements remain the primary lever, with 24/7 carbon-free energy contracts expanding into 2026.

L.03

Waste-heat reuse

Northern European data centers feed district heating networks. Under the recast EU Energy Efficiency Directive, sites above 1 MW must use waste heat where feasible, with mandatory reporting fully in effect through 2026.

L.04

Low-water cooling designs

Air-side economization, adiabatic cooling, and emerging zero-water cooling architectures. New 2026 AI data center designs from leading operators are targeting near-zero water for cooling at hyperscale.

/ Sources & further reading