Nowadays, data drives nearly everything. We often talk about “the cloud,” but the data is really located in data centers, and these data centers are big energy consumers – or have been up to now. MIRIS, a real estate development company, working with Norwegian architects Snøhetta, believe we can turn this around with data centers that produce more energy than they use.
The Spark Could Power Cities With Up to 18,000 Inhabitants
The designers say that the new-style data center, dubbed the Spark, could power cities with up to 18,000 inhabitants. The concept was born from the findings of a study which looked at worldwide energy consumption. According to the researchers, 40 percent of the world’s energy is used to power buildings, and two percent of the energy used already goes to data centers.


As cities become increasingly data-driven, this energy need is expected to rise – unless data centers themselves can become buildings that generate energy. By changing the way we think about data centers, a sustainable concept could become an urban reality.