This short documentary from 3M explores the challenges in managing the energy consumption and carbon footprint of data centers.

According to 3M, data centers are now responsible for as much CO2 as the airline industry, but there are ways and means to combat the rise in emissions, like immersion cooling that can potentially reduce the amount of electricity used in server cooling by as much as 95 percent.

The video features DCD’s own Bruce Taylor, executive vice president for North America, who sees immersion cooling as a technology that could transform data centers: “You have fewer mechanical moving parts, fewer electronics, everything about it is simpler.”

It includes insights from other industry veterans, some of whom will be familiar to attentive DCD readers, like Zahl Limbuwala, the founder of Romonet, and Dave Sartor, staff scientist and engineer at Lawrence Berkley National Labs.

3M was founded in 1902 as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, and gradually diversified into chemicals, textiles, household products, audio and video equipment, healthcare and a variety of other industries. It is responsible for inventing such everyday essentials as the masking tape, waterproof sandpaper and cellophane-based Scotch tape. In total, 3M owns more than 100,000 patents worldwide.

The company is a major supplier to data center and telecommunications infrastructure markets, making less glamorous, but no less important facility elements like weather-proofing and fire suppression products.