The recently held First Saudi Arabia Innovation Summit in Riyadh saw experts representing leading data center players in the Kingdom on a panel titled ‘Sustainable Data Center: Path to Net-Zero,’ to explore trends and challenges accompanied in digitalising the energy ecosystem.
The session stimulated the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and shared priorities on incorporating sustainable design and uses to data centers that will position Riyadh and the MENA region as key players in the green data center market. Schneider Electric’s Senior Vice President for International Operations, Secure Power, Natalya Makarochkina, Center 3’s Head of Data Centers Mohammed F Alqhtani, and Edarat’s Vice Chairman and Head of Data Center Division, Adel Rizk, shared their first-hand experience and insights in dealing with the growing demand for sustainability across industries.
The demand for data centers in the UAE and the Middle East has been steadily increasing, driven by several factors such as the growth of cloud computing, the rise of e-commerce, and the increasing use of digital technologies in various industries. The Middle East and Africa data center market is projected to grow from USD 3.7 billion in 2020 to USD 7.5 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 15.7% during the forecast period, according to MarketandMarkets.
During the discussion, Makarochkina shared, “As societies go digital and green, businesses can leverage digital technologies and incorporate sustainable design to create climate-positive digital economies across the globe. In the face of a pressing climate crisis, sustainability is no longer an option. At the heart of the digital economy, data centers will be essential to address climate change head-on, providing the connectivity, critical IT infrastructure, and processing power necessary to deliver the next innovations in sustainability and decarbonisation.”
Central to the discussion was the role of digitalisation and electrification as the key vectors for decarbonisation, highlighting how the world cannot address the impacts of climate change without the facilities for digitisation provided by data centers, and the ability to act upon climate data.
Schneider Electric recognises that Electricity 4.0 is the fastest path to net zero, enabling a new generation of sustainable data centers that will, in time, become carbon negative, with zero waste. The Secure Power Division holds the widest breadth of green offers to help data center operators drive sustainability throughout their operations, providing software to digitise the lifecycle and hardware systems to drive resilience while acting as the customers’ trusted partner throughout their sustainability journey.
Schneider Electric’s Saudi Arabia Innovation Summit enables the company to further expand its investment footprint in the Kingdom and paves the way for even greater contributions in advancing sustainability and technological innovation.