Nine leading built environment and sustainable finance organisations have come together to launch the Greening AI Data Centres Coalition (GADCC), a new initiative aimed at setting ‘clear, credible standards’ for sustainable data centre development.
The founding members of the coalition include the Building Research Establishment (BRE), the Climate Bonds Initiative, the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA), the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC).
Together, the group will seek to establish shared standards to determine what ‘green’ genuinely looks like in a data centre context, helping investors, operators, communities and policymakers direct capital towards facilities that meet legitimate environmental criteria, and cut through greenwashing.
Clear standards
“Trillions are going into building AI data centres, but without clear standards, it risks becoming a climate disaster,” commented Sean Kidney, CEO, Climate Bonds Initiative. “The solutions are simple: use clean energy, recycle water and re-use heat. This coalition is about setting the rules to get that right.”
The coalition was launched in response to growing concerns over the environmental impact of data centres globally, particularly in areas such as energy and water use, impact on the grid, and noise pollution. According to the IEA, data centres currently consume between 1.5% and 2% of global electricity, with demand set to more than double by the end of the decade.
The GADCC’s work will initially focus on two areas – developing an internationally aligned framework of environmental and social performance standards for data centres, and supporting the development of financial mechanisms that align with these standards.
‘Central to economic growth’
“As a strategic asset class, data centres are central to technological innovation and economic growth,” added Peter Templeton, president and CEO, US Green Building Council (USGBC).
“Through this coalition, we are committing our collective expertise to balancing this growth with responsible development that protects energy affordability, local resources, and quality of life.”
Elsewhere, Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) added that by “setting clear, credible standards, this coalition will help ensure the growth of AI infrastructure supports climate goals, community resilience and long‑term sustainability.” Read more here.
