A key pillar of a sustainable digital economy is the circular economy. For data center operators, Internet Exchange Points (IXP), colocation providers, cloud services, and many others, a circular digital economy means a production and consumption model for IT hardware that minimizes resource consumption while maximizing lifespan.
A central pillar of a sustainable digital economy is the circular economy. For data center operators, Internet Exchange Point operators (IXPs), colocation providers, cloud services, and many others, a circular digital economy means a production and consumption model for IT hardware that minimizes resource use while maximizing lifespan. However, one of the biggest barriers to realizing the circular economy in the IT sector is economy. Ahead of our keynote at the Future Technologies Symposium of the Open Compute Project (OCP) on November 8, 2021, in San Jose, California, as part of the OCP Global Summit 2021, we outlined our vision for how adopting circular business models can be accelerated in line with our roadmap for sustainable digital infrastructure by 2030.
Key Insights
Transforming IT hardware into a service for cloud and infrastructure providers can open new paths to circular economic models but requires a business model aligned with the needs and challenges of the 21st century.
IT Hardware-as-a-Service will be the only economically viable path to the circular economy, as the hardware remains owned by the manufacturer or a third party, naturally incentivizing to extend its lifespan, repair, and refurbish.
Such a model will offer countless benefits — notably for producers, consumers, communities affected by supply chains, and the planet.
There will be challenges to overcome, but this new model of