Tackling climate change and committing to sustainability at scale are imperatives for our generation and governments across Western Europe and North America are at the forefront of the climate crisis through policy, climate finance and nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Comparatively, with the Asia Pacific home to five of the largest carbon polluters by country, the journey to net-zero or even climate neutrality is inherently more challenging and fraught with unique obstacles ranging from its fragmented energy policy to its tropical terrain. With sub-1.1 PUE targets, 24/7 energy matching, ‘waterless’ data centers and sustainability linked financing now firmly on the horizon for an array of operators across Western Europe and North America, are the same standards a useful benchmark or an unrealistic measurement of progress for operators across Asia Pacific?

We ask our panel for their take on the complexities of the APAC sustainability journey in relation to the global energy transition and the steps needed for the data center sector to overcome the regional hurdles to go greener, faster.