Established in 2019, the SDIA is a non-profit network of over 65 organizations across Europe and the rest of the world, working to catalyze the transition to a sustainable digital infrastructure. The SDIA aligns all stakeholders in the digital ecosystem, from energy providers and data centers to fiber optic networks and software, with the mission of fostering a sustainable digital economy and delivering the roadmap for Sustainable Digital Infrastructure by 2030.
Max Schulze, Chairman of the SDIA Council, welcomed Vertiv to the alliance. “Vertiv has a well-established track record and capabilities in the critical infrastructure sector, including data centers. Together, we will continue to develop new concepts and technologies to create environmentally friendly data centers and digital infrastructure.”.
Commenting on the collaboration with the SDIA, Giordano Albertazzi, President of Vertiv for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, stated: “Achieving a successful transition to a digital and sustainable future will require the cooperation of numerous stakeholders, including governments and organizations in the energy and technology sectors. Vertiv is proud to support a group like the SDIA, which is able to unite these participants and guide them toward the common goal of developing a sustainable digital economy.”.
Initially, Vertiv and the SDIA will focus their relationship around Europe, as it is currently at the forefront of sustainable technological development, as well as state regulation and investment.
Vertiv's partnership with the SDIA follows a trend of similar initiatives with organizations such as the European Data Centre Association (EUDCA), which Vertiv joined in 2018. Through its participation in EUDCA, Vertiv is also contributing to the development of the recently announced Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact. This pact represents a significant self-regulatory initiative, setting targets that put the cloud and data center sector on track to meet the European Commission's goal of climate-neutral data centers by 2030, as well as supporting the broader objective of the European Green Deal, which aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
The collaboration with the SDIA is the latest in a series of advancements by Vertiv in the areas of sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. Vertiv recently launched a range of highly efficient products in the EMEA region, including the Liebert® EXM2 uninterruptible power supply (UPS), the Liebert® AFC low global warming potential (GWP) screw inverter chiller, and the innovative Vertiv™ Liebert® EXL S1 Dynamic Grid Support UPS, which enables energy-intensive industries to proactively utilize UPS systems to support the transition to greener energy sources. As intermittent renewable energy sources continue to revolutionize conventional electricity generation, new energy storage services are needed to meet sustainability goals, generate revenue, and reduce energy expenditure. In March 2021, Vertiv also announced that it would support Norwegian colocation provider Green Mountain in deploying cutting-edge technologies to further increase the efficiency and sustainability of its data centers, which were already among the greenest in the world.
Some of the areas of immediate cooperation between the SDIA and Vertiv will include support for grid-interactive technologies. SDIA members, which include data center operators and technology providers, as well as electric utilities, are ideally positioned to contribute to the development and deployment of new solutions that improve the integration between critical infrastructure and power grids.
