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The Open Compute Project Foundation has announced a new partnership with leading technology companies including AWS, Google Meta, and Microsoft to test and promote low-embodied CO2 concrete, also known by the name “green concrete”, in data center construction.
This initiative is part a larger effort to drive the use of environmentally responsible materials in building construction. The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated to data center construction by developing concrete mixes that lower carbon impact more than 50% per cubic yard.
The project includes testing four different concrete mixes with varying global warming potentials. The lowest mixture achieved the 50% reduction in carbon emission compared to standard cement. The formulas are based on alternative cements and supplementary material that are available commercially but haven’t been widely adopted because of perceived risks and implementation difficulties.
Sustainable building practices
The announcement was made at a demonstration held on 8 August at the Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. facility in Northbrook, Illinois.
Senior representatives from AWS and Google, Meta and Microsoft, members of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the US Department of Energy as well as other governmental and environment organizations attended the event.
The project’s open-source approach aims to create confidence in new technologies and a market force to accelerate the industry’s transition to sustainable practices.
The move is seen by many as a vital step in reducing carbon footprints of data center constructions and promoting sustainable building techniques across the industry. The findings will be compiled in a whitepaper, which will be made public to encourage broader adoption of concrete with low embodied carbon. The comprehensive testing plan includes laboratory and field assessments for evaluating the performance of the new mixtures. The results will inform future industry practices.