Minister flags environmental costs involved in setting up data centre

Amid concerns implicit biology costs, peculiarly h2o and vigor consumption, Karnataka is reviewing its argumentation connected information centres, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge informed the State Legislative Assembly connected Wednesday.

Explaining the costs progressive successful establishing information centres, Mr. Kharge said astir ₹70 crore is required to acceptable up 1 megawatt information centre, and the full powerfulness usage, including cooling/infrastructure, is astir 1.7 MW of power. About 25 cardinal litres of h2o per twelvemonth is required for 1 MW information centre. However, the existent outgo depends connected the determination and onshore cost, sources said.

However, helium noted that caller technologies are emerging that alteration the usage of treated h2o successful information centres. “We person to relook astatine our policy, which is 2 to 3 years old,” helium said

Replying to a question from Dheeraj Muniraju of the BJP from Doddaballapur, Mr. Kharge said that 32 backstage information centres are presently functioning successful the State. “We already person a information centre policy, which we are reviewing,” helium added.

‘Necessary evil’

Describing information centres arsenic a “necessary evil", the Minister said they are indispensable for artificial intelligence, instrumentality learning and different emerging technologies, but they besides devour ample quantities of h2o and energy.

Earlier, Mr. Muniraju said Bengaluru was losing retired connected information centre investments arsenic companies were moving to different Indian cities. Bengaluru presently ranks 5th among Indian cities for information centres, aft Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi, helium said.

Mr. Muniraju noted that respective planetary exertion firms person offices successful Bengaluru and suggested that their information centres should beryllium retained successful the city.

Sustainable policy

Mr. Kharge said the authorities is moving towards a “sustainable information centre” argumentation and that the absorption would beryllium connected Mangaluru and different coastal areas. “Hyperscale information centres whitethorn not beryllium suitable for Bengaluru, which does not person a larboard and lacks abundant h2o resources,” helium said.

Data centres requiring much than 40 MW of powerfulness would autumn nether the hyperscale category, helium added.

The Minister besides said discussions were nether mode with backstage companies connected laying subsea cables successful the coastal region. He had written to the Union Telecom Ministry seeking a subsea cablegram landing presumption successful Mangaluru, and the Ministry had responded positively, stating it would widen enactment if backstage companies took up the implementation.