Political Demands for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures
Create the framework conditions for achieving the EU climate targets
For many years now, operators of digital infrastructures have been committed to greater sustainability, which is why data centres in Germany and Europe are, in international comparison, already among the most energy-efficient in the world. Instead of concentrating on purely national certification approaches in the field of energy efficiency, policy-makers at European level must develop common standards and certification models, and do so in close cooperation with the industry. The GAIA-X project is a good platform for such cooperation between providers, users, and political decision-makers, and should be used to develop and establish European standards and criteria regarding the sustainability of data centres.
Make sustainable use of waste heat from data centres
Waste heat from data centres represents a valuable energy resource. However, there are currently too few possibilities to channel the waste heat into a systematic and efficient secondary use, e.g. feeding into local or district heating networks or vertical farming. In order to harness this potential sustainably, politics must promote and support waste heat recovery in a targeted manner. This could be achieved by, among other things, purchase obligations for heating network operators. In addition, the technical systems for waste heat recovery must be improved and the possibilities for its use in both urban and rural areas must be further developed.
Develop a cross-ministry approach and take different business models into consideration
Politics must ensure a coordinated approach across ministries and departments and together with the providers of digital infrastructures, so that politically-agreed goals are accepted and can be achieved. This requires a coordinated approach to strengthen the business location, secure and develop skilled workers, and promote research on energy and environmental policy issues. Sustainable digitalisation must be in harmony with the performance and competitiveness of Germany and Europe as a digital location. In order to maintain the competitiveness of digital infrastructures in the face of ambitious energy and climate policy targets, and to stimulate innovation, their infrastructure characteristics and business models, as well as the needs of business and private users, must be taken into account in the development of future measures.
See the Alliance's complete set of Political Demands for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures.
