Microsoft tests wooden data centers in a bid to cut carbon emissions
In brief: The generative AI revolution means demand for data centers has skyrocketed. Increasing the number of these facilities is raising environmental concerns, not just from the power they require, but also from their construction. In an attempt to make its data centers greener, Microsoft is testing one made out of wood.
Rather than using the traditional materials of steel and concrete for the entire build, Microsoft is using cross-laminated timber (CLT) for a new data center in Northern Virginia. The experiment is part of the company’s drive to become carbon negative by 2030 and offset all its emissions since its founding (in 1975) by 2050.
The enormous growth in data center demand and the hardware they house, spurred by the AI race, is having a detrimental impact on Microsoft’s carbon-reduction ambitions. The company said in May that while it had achieved a 6.3% reduction in direct emissions over the previous three years, indirect emissions increased 30.9%, driven by the increase of data centers. These indirect emissions are harder to manage as they include carbon emitted during extraction, processing, manufacturing and even transportation of materials.
Concrete and steel, along with aluminum, is responsible for about 15% of global industrial greenhouse gas emissions.
Part of Microsoft’s response to accelerate decarbonization is to test data centers made of CLT, a prefabricated fire-resistant wooden material.
There will still be steel and concrete used in this hybrid construction model. The CLT will be used on the floor and ceilings before a thinner layer of concrete is applied to ensure durability and waterproofing. This makes the wood last longer and protects it. CLT is more expensive than steel and concrete but the fact it is lighter means buildings require less steel, further reducing carbon output.
The use of CLT is estimated to reduce the embodied carbon footprint of two new data centers by 35% compared to conventional steel construction, and 65% compared to typical precast concrete.
Microsoft notes that for large projects, CLT can be cost effective due to reduced construction time, less need for skilled labor, and economies of scale.
In addition to the construction stage, tech giants are also looking at other methods of powering their new data centers. Microsoft has signed a deal to reopen the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, while other firms are turning to modular nuclear reactors.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen wood being used for massive structures. A new technology called “mass timber” construction is being used to create buildings of eight stories or higher. The tallest of these is the 25-story Ascent tower in Milwaukee.
