2 minute read
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
data servers into the atmosphere can prove to have unforeseen negative externalities. The increase of satellites and man-made matter in orbit, for example, creates an obstacle that can prevent the future success of space exploration. Additionally, while outer space can be extremely cold, not all parts of it have a constant temperature. Tech companies will have to plan around this issue before they can launch their data centers into space.
Nevertheless, with the power and resources of the Alibaba Group and the innovative plans of ConnectX, this cosmic solution for sustainable data centers is not too far out of reach. Western tech companies are already in the process of building partnerships with satellite companies. Given the ongoing space race between the United States and China, Chinese companies have plenty of motivation to participate in the migration of data centers into space. In turn, the Chinese government is ready to support its tech industry in efforts to reach its sustainability goals and stimulate healthy competition in the space race.
Conclusion
Morgan Stanley’s Chief Sustainability Officer states that, “satellite technology and space exploration offer a potential new frontier of opportunities to assess and address climate change and sustainability on a global scale.”26 The Alibaba Group, working with ConnectX, can put data servers among the stars— for the long-term benefit of Earth. Both the Alibaba Group and the Chinese government have a clear goal of reaching carbon-neutrality as well as promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns in line with U.N. SDG 12.27 Partnering with ConnectX would represent another significant step toward a carbon neutral future, not to mention a potentially giant leap in space cooperation between Chinese and American tech companies.
1 “With New Pact, Tech Companies Take on Climate Change.” UNEP, United Nations, www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/ new-pact-tech-companies-take-climate-change.
2 Kardashian, Kirk. “What If We Put Servers in Space?” Fortune, 29 Jan. 2015, fortune.com/2015/01/29/connectx-space-data.
3 Moen, Ole Marius. “This Is How We Reduce Data Centres' Carbon Footprint.” #SINTEFblog, SNTEF, 28 Jan. 2022, blog. sintef.com/sintefenergy/this-is-how-we-reduce-data-centerscarbon-footprint.
4 “Goal 12 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs.” United Nations, sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12.
5 Levingston, Ivan, and Will Mathis. “Startups Race Microsoft to Find Better Ways to Cool Data Centers.” Bloomberg, 16 June 2021, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-16/big-techstartups-race-to-cool-data-centers-around-the-world.
6 Kardashian.
7 Berry, India. “Top 10 Countries with the Most Data Centres.” Data Centre Magazine, BMG Media Group, 20 Sept. 2021, datacentremagazine.com/top10/top-10-countries-most-datacentres.
8 G, Vishwa. “Data Center Cooling Market Size.” Allied Market Research, www.alliedmarketresearch.com/data-center-coolingmarket.
9 “The Chinese Companies Polluting the World More Than Entire Nations.” Bloomberg News, 21 Oct. 2021, www.bloomberg.com/ graphics/2021-china-climate-change-biggest-carbon-polluters.
10 He, Wang, and Ye Ruiqi. “The Climate Cost of China's Digital Infrastructure Rush.” China Dialogue, 20 June 2020, chinadialogue.net/en/cities/11960-the-climate-cost-of-china-sdigital-infrastructure-rush.
11 Ye, Ruiqi. “How Will China's Internet Giants Become Carbon Neutral?” China Dialogue, 4 Mar. 2021, chinadialogue.net/ en/business/how-will-chinas-internet-giants-become-carbonneutral.
12 “Alibaba Group Carbon Neutrality Action Report.” Alibaba Group Holding Limited, 2021, sustainability.alibabagroup.com/ en.
13 Moen.
14 Utley, Elizabeth. “How Alibaba Cloud Data Centers Will Reach 100% Clean Energy By 2030.” Yahoo! Finance, 13 Apr. 2022, finance.yahoo.com/news/alibaba-cloud-data-centers-
Wei Chen
reach-200114652.html.
15 Minton, Stephen. “3 Ways That Service Providers Are Changing the IT Market.” IDC, 15 Aug. 2019, blogs.idc.com/2019/08/15/3ways-that-service-providers-are-changing-the-it-market.
16 Gao, Gary. Personal Interview. 19 Apr. 2022
17 “Space: How Cold Does It Get When We Leave Earth?” BBC Future, BBC, www.bbc.com/future/article/20130920-how-coldis-space-really.
18 Kardashian.
19 Ibid.
20 Loff, Sarah. “CubeSats Overview.” NASA, 22 July 2015, www. nasa.gov/mission_pages/cubesats/overview.
21 Kardashian.
22 Levingston, Ivan, and Will Mathis. “Startups Race Microsoft to Find Better Ways to Cool Data Centers.” Bloomberg, 16 June 2021, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-16/big-techstartups-race-to-cool-data-centers-around-the-world.
23 Smolaks, Max. “Alibaba Cloud Is Adding a Million Servers in China.” Data Center Dynamics, 21 Apr. 2022, www. datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/alibaba-cloud-addingmillion-servers-china.
24 Ibid.
25 Ibid.
26 Steer-Stephenson, Charlie. “Sustainability Is a Universal Problem, on Earth and in Space.” Sustainability Magazine, 30 Aug. 2022, sustainabilitymag.com/sustainability/sustainabilityis-a-universal-problem-on-earth-and-in-space.
27 Ping, Lu. “Chinese Tech Giants Strive to Achieve Carbon Neutrality.” China Daily, 1 Mar. 2022, global.chinadaily.com. cn/a/202203/01/WS621d82b3a310cdd39bc897fd.html.
Photo Credits: Dimazel/Adobe Stock—page 18
Evgen3D/Adobe Stock—page 21 Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA—page 22
