Why do we need SDEA Label?
Datacenters (DCs) are the physical infrastructure driving the digital economy, delivering IT services built on scalable commodity components. With the global digital transformation surge, coupled with the slower growth in conventional silicon-based digital platform capacity, there is an impending rise in not just the number and size of datacenters, but also their energy consumption and carbon footprint.
In response, SDEA Label is championing sustainability in the digital economy by ensuring that the energy efficiency of datacenters and IT infrastructures is measured, not guessed. It provides clear visibility of both energy efficiency and the comprehensive environmental impact of datacenter operations, ensuring that sustainability remains central to the digital realm.
What does SDEA Label signify?
SDEA Label quantifies a DC’s operational efficiency and environmental impact. While it considers traditional elements like Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), it also evaluates IT infrastructure utilization, heat recycling of the DC, or self produced energy.
The baseline label encapsulates a DC's efficiency journey from energy intake to heat recycling and captures DC and IT infrastructure – either combined or individually – as well as workload utilization and technology excellence. The premium variant measures a DC's carbon emissions, factoring in emissions from incoming or self produced energy sources. SDEA Label is offered in three grades (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) to differentiate the level of criteria met.
How can I get SDEA Label?
To earn a label for a DC or IT infrastructure, the applicant must demonstrate compliance with the labeling criteria during an SDEA mandated certification process. It falls upon the applicant (or an expert mandated by the applicant) to gather the necessary information for this process.
Applicants first create an account and open a dashboard within the SDEA Navigator. After entering all KPIs and reviewing their results, operators can proceed by selecting 'certify' on the dashboard summary. This action taps into the already compiled data to initiate the certification process. An accessible online guide then details the next steps.
The applicant is required to engage an independent auditor that validates the measured KPIs and produces an audit report. The SDEA’s board members will then assess the report and award the suitable label based on the efficiency level.