Data centres and their energy consumption are causing huge environmental concerns in Ireland, and we don’t know enough. I wanted to create a website to inform and engage the people of Ireland on data and data centres, with the hopes that a larger audience of everyday people being aware of the ongoing situation will put more pressure on corporate and governmental bodies to adhere strictly to the guidelines put in place so far, and to prioritise sustainability goals over profit and power.
In order to make the information more digestible for uninformed users, I divided the website into 6 parts, each answering a key question surrounding data centres. This is summed up on the landing page with 6 pressing statements relating to each section. The goal was to make the topic as engaging and accessible as possible.
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If the internet was a country, it would be the 4th biggest polluter. We tend not to think of digital activity as having a carbon footprint, but the reason data centres are on the rise is due to our excessive consumption and creation of online content. While this is unlikely to diminish anytime soon, there are many ways in which we can reduce our digital footprint. This applies particularly to designers, who are tasked with creating so much of the content now stored in data centres.
I considered the ‘weight’ of the website I was creating, and took small steps to reduce its energy consumption, such as using bitmapped images, and offering a ‘dark’ mode with system fonts. While these changes are minimal, they serve as a starting point for a bigger digital movement.
Ireland, more than any other European country, is facing huge problems in relation to data centres and the strain they are putting on the national grid. In 2023 alone they demanded more electricity than all urban homes in Ireland, and Dublin now has more data centres than any other European capital. However, without many reliable, clear, or balanced sources available on the subject, it is difficult to understand and engage with the issue effectively. At the moment there is lots of finger pointing, greenwashing and misunderstandings, which can only be cut through by a better understanding of the topic.
After researching both sides of the data centre situation, I chose to present my findings as a website as it would be easier (and free) to access and could be updated as the situation unfolds, as well as being more relevant to the conversation about digital data storage.
The narrative format for the website was partially inspired by websites such as The Shipping Container by Nahuel Gerth, who make complex issues engaging.
By creating an interesting and honest narrative that explains the situation from start to finish for complete beginners, I hope to better people’s knowledge of data centres. More focus then can go towards finding (or demanding) a proper solution!