Ashish Arora, CEO of Nxtra by Airtel (pictured), argued it is imperative data centre operators place sustainability at the heart of their businesses to minimise the potential environmental impact associated with soaring demand for access to the facilities in India and beyond.
The executive told Mobile World Live the Bharti Airtel subsidiary considers several environmental elements when developing new sites to meet growing cloud computing and AI workloads.
Arora said demand for data centre access in India is soaring as the nation embraces digital transformation across multiple sectors, with services including UHD streaming and a broader increase in data consumption putting enormous strain on the nation’s current infrastructure.
The data centre demand is pushing companies like Nxtra by Airtel to look to hyperscale facilities, which Arora explained are typically highly energy-intensive, requiring advanced cooling systems which consume a significant amount of power.
Drivers
Arora said AI is a “key factor in rising power demands”, due to the technology’s “reliance on GPU-loaded hardware for ultra-dense computing”. He said data centre racks already require power in the range of 30kW to 40kW and pointed to a Goldman Sachs prediction the demand would rise 160 per cent by 2030.
As a result of the heightened power requirements, Arora said Nxtra by Airtel carefully plots the location of new data centre campuses, with elements including direct access to high-capacity power grids a key consideration.
“Our new-age hyperscale campuses are built with a highly flexible modular design, enabling both vertical and horizontal scalability to meet the growing demands of cloud computing and AI-driven workloads.”
The company uses on-site Gas Insulated Substations to provide power in the 220kV range, with Arora explaining the overall approach “enhances the resilience of our operations”, while also ensuring “high quality, continuous power essential for real-time AI model training, big data analytics and other data-intensive services”.
Arora explained more widely publicised approaches involving solar, wind or hydro power sources remain crucial to sustainability efforts, particularly with a view to reducing carbon emissions.
But he noted energy efficiency is “equally important”, as is “addressing water consumption” in cooling systems.
Arora said sustainability is a “conscious choice” as Nxtra by Airtel seeks to achieve a net zero position by 2031. In the year to end-March it upped its use of renewable energy, with around 40 per cent of its total consumption covered by the sources.
“We have also taken crucial steps in water management, conducting water stress analysis” when selecting the site of new centres and targeting zero discharge in the longer-term.
The company also works with parent Airtel to invest in companies developing renewable power stations, with backing for 14 to-date delivering more than 50MW of green energy.
Arora noted Nxtra by Airtel increased its use of renewable energy by 41 per cent year-on-year in fiscal 2024, which ran to end-March, “driven by green power wheeling agreements”, which refers to a means of transmitting privately generated power across a national grid, “and captive solar rooftop installations” across 29 of its core and edge data centre sites.
The company aims for 70 per cent of its power to be provided by renewable sources by 2027: the figure stood at 38.3 per cent during fiscal 2024.
Strengthening our pledge to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy usage, we are the only Indian data centre company to join the prestigious RE100 initiative, a global movement led by the Climate Group in collaboration with CDP
Ashish Arora – CEO Nxtra by Airtel
Arora also highlighted Nxtra by Airtel’s deployment of a hydrogen-ready fuel cell at one facility, “significantly reducing carbon emissions”, along with efforts to eliminate any waste being sent to landfill within the next five years.
“Strengthening our pledge to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy usage, we are the only Indian data centre company to join the prestigious RE100 initiative, a global movement led by the Climate Group in collaboration with CDP.”
Collaborative
Although obviously proud of the company’s work so far and longer-term goals, Arora noted Nxtra by Airtel is not alone in its approach: he said the company’s initiatives are “closely aligned with global sustainability goals” including those related to affordable and clean energy, responsible consumption and production, and climate action, among others.
He added the company’s efforts also “support India’s climate objectives, reflecting a broader commitment to sustainable practices in the technology industry” and so “enhancing resilience against climate change and promoting environmental stewardship on a global scale”.
Arora argued no company is an island in terms of data centre sustainability efforts, with collaboration between owners of the facilities and renewable energy suppliers “vital” to the push for greener operations.
Partnerships with renewable power providers also helps ensure data centre companies “can secure a reliable and cost-effective energy supply”.
Arora explained this aligns with an “ambitious target” by India to create 500GW of renewable capacity by 2030, though added there are challenges around the infrastructure available today, high set-up costs, regulation and the space available to incorporate the necessary power infrastructure in data centres.
The executive noted it will remain difficult for data centre operators to switch to full renewable energy sources until all areas of India have power grids with the capacity to use sustainable sources or the means to store the power produced.
Physical space constraints require “creative solutions” including the use of “rooftops or nearby land” for energy production, while the regulatory landscape means companies must have deep levels of expertise to “better align” with requirements and so be successful in their renewable initiatives.
The cost element appears more of a battle of perception than the wallet, with Arora noting the pay-off is a long game in terms of outlay and reward, though one he ardently believes is worth the near-term hit when it comes to financial and environmental gains.
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