Data Centres Turn to Light to Cut Power Use

Vocabulary

Article

Data centres consume enormous quantities of copper in their electrical systems, cooling infrastructure, and networking wiring. A typical 100-megawatt facility uses around 400 tonnes of copper overall, with roughly 20 tonnes dedicated to the cables connecting computer servers. Industry leaders now question whether copper's reign will continue. Chris Sharp, chief technology officer at Digital Reality, suggests that copper may become less dominant, not because supplies are running out, but because alternative technologies offer superior performance for internal data transmission.