03/08/2026
According to the Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2026, sustainability reporting in Data Centers continues to evolve. Higher rack densities, more powerful next-generation servers, and faster technology refresh cycles are driving operators to track a broader range of environmental and operational metrics.
The report highlights which sustainability indicators are becoming priorities across the industry:
🔹IT and Data Center power consumption remains the top metric, monitored by 87% of organizations, compared to 84% in 2025.
🔹The share of organizations tracking PUE increased from 74% to 79%, driven by regulatory requirements, customer expectations, and its impact on operational costs.
🔹 Water usage tracking saw one of the largest increases, rising from 47% to 53%, reflecting growing attention to water efficiency and evolving environmental regulations.
🔹 E-waste and equipment lifecycle tracking increased from 32% to 38%, highlighting a stronger focus on circularity and responsible infrastructure management.
🔹 Server utilization remained unchanged at 37%, indicating that improving utilization efficiency remains a challenge as AI workloads and new GPU/CPU architectures continue to evolve.
🔹 Carbon emissions reporting increased across all emissions categories, reflecting the growing importance of measuring and reducing Data Center carbon footprints.
The data above highlights a clear shift in how Data Centers measure sustainability. As priorities expand beyond energy efficiency, advanced cooling technologies are becoming essential for managing the challenges of higher rack densities and evolving AI workloads.
At DCX, we develop Liquid Cooling solutions that help operators prepare their infrastructure for the next generation of Data Centers.