Frequently asked questions about our datacenters

Datacenter sustainability

What are Microsoft&#;s commitments to sustainability?

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• We are committed to being carbon negative by and by to remove from the atmosphere an equivalent amount of all the carbon dioxide our company has emitted either directly or by our electricity consumption since we were founded in .
• By , we will also replenish more water than we consume across our global operations, with a focus on water-stressed regions where we work.
• We will achieve 90% diversion of operational waste at owned datacenters and campuses, and 75% diversion for all construction and demolition projects, by .
• Learn more in our Environmental Sustainability Report.

How much water is required to cool datacenters?

Our datacenter designs minimize water use using outside air for cooling when possible.

Our newest GPU datacenters will consume zero water for cooling once in operation and require minimal water for employee use.

Visit How Microsoft measures datacenter water and energy use to improve Azure Cloud sustainability for more information.

Do you put additives/chemicals in the water?

Datacenter cooling water is typically not treated with any chemicals or additives. When quality of the available water is not adequate for use in cooling systems, water treatment is pursued in the same way municipal drinking water is treated to remove excessive hardness or to prevent harmful bacterial growth.

How is water discharged from datacenter?

Wastewater is typically discharged to the municipal sewer system in accordance with local environmental regulations.

Do datacenters use renewable energy?

Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human time scale&#;such as solar energy, wind power, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, tidal power, and biofuels. By , the Microsoft cloud will shift to 100 percent supply of renewable energy, meaning that we will have power purchase agreements (PPA) for green energy contracted for 100 percent of carbon-emitting electricity consumed by all our datacenters, buildings, and campuses.

Watch this video to learn more about datacenters and renewable energy

Why do datacenters have generators?

Datacenters use fossil fuel generators for back-up power during the rare emergency. Microsoft is constantly pursuing opportunities to shift to carbon free backup generation, including through the eventual use of batteries. As this technology continues to mature, the goal is to extend the duration of the batteries&#;from a few minutes to several hours. The long duration batteries have the potential to be a replacement for diesel generators.

For more information, please visit Chengyue.

Do datacenters generate waste?

Microsoft&#;s Circular Centers enable us to reuse and repurpose decommissioned cloud computing hardware from our datacenters to find new life in schools, as resources for skills training programs, and much more.  The goal of our Circular Center program is to reuse 90 percent of our cloud computing hardware assets by .

Globally, Microsoft datacenters reuse 78 percent of our end-of-life assets and components; the remaining 22 percent of materials are recycled. Additionally, Microsoft is conducting research and development to improve waste diversion by determining new recycling solutions for used air filters and fiber optic cables.

How do Microsoft&#;s cloud services compare on energy efficiency to businesses running their own datacenters?

Microsoft&#;s cloud services offer customers an energy efficient alternative to running their own private datacenters. According to an analysis by Microsoft in partnership with WSP, Microsoft Cloud services can be as much as 93 percent more energy efficient than traditional enterprise datacenters.

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