GREEN REALM OF DIGITALISATION

The paradigm of civilisation development in the 21st century is closely linked to the tasks of digitalising the economy and aligning these trends with "green" technologies in energy, production, and business. This concept, known as Green IT, is incorporated into Azerbaijan's strategic plans for future development. The country’s achievements and forthcoming challenges in this domain were discussed at a high-level round-table on green digital action, organised during the UN climate conference COP29, which recently concluded in Baku. AzInTelecom’s initiative to establish two data centres in the Absheron and Hajigabul districts utilising "green" technologies serves as an exemplary model of Azerbaijan’s commitment to developing the Green IT sector.

Green IT Concept

More than thirty years ago, the US Environmental Protection Agency launched the Energy Star program, which later laid the foundation for the global green IT movement. Digital equipment manufacturers involved in the Energy Star initiative labelled their products according to their energy efficiency. This designation pertains to equipment that consumes less energy while delivering high performance. Consumers of such products not only save on energy costs but also contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

As the IT sector has developed, these principles have expanded significantly to encompass a variety of additional areas and positions. Specifically, the global concept of Green IT was established, encompassing the development, use, and disposal of digital devices while considering their environmental impact and resource efficiency. The primary objective of Green IT is to mitigate the negative effects of computer technologies on the environment and to lower energy consumption. Participating global vendors make voluntary commitments to monitor and reduce their CO2 emissions and ensure safe disposal of toxic waste at electronic equipment manufacturing sites. This includes avoiding hazardous materials, promoting biodegradability of unused and obsolete products, increasing recycling efforts, and more.

In recent years, both major global IT manufacturers and their public and private clients have been adopting principles related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting. The goal is to provide transparent information regarding green IT practices in the production, procurement, and maintenance of computer equipment and IT peripherals. Another aspect of the Green IT concept involves training programs for employees within ICT organisations focused on ESG principles. This encompasses environmentally responsible use of digital resources at the corporate level.

Today, principles of Green IT that assist in reducing greenhouse gas emissions are integrated into the fundamental guidelines of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the end of last year, the UN published the Digital Acceleration Programme, which presented a global analysis of the correlation between countries' levels of digitalisation and progress in sustainable development and climate initiatives. According to this document, digital technologies can play a pivotal role in achieving approximately 70% of SDG targets and can significantly expedite progress toward reaching them by 2030. In this context, about two-thirds of developing nations are incorporating their green digitalisation initiatives into national climate strategies.

The Carbon Footprint of the IT Sector

This narrative is increasingly relevant in the post-Soviet region, including Azerbaijan. The importance of integrating Green IT principles with ESG requirements in the corporate sector and directly linking these principles to the UN climate agenda was a focal point at a high-level roundtable on green digital action during COP29. Mukhtar Babayev, President of COP29 and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, emphasised that "digital technologies play a key role in our fight against climate change, offering powerful tools for climate monitoring, improving energy efficiency, and promoting circular economy principles." However, he also cautioned against overlooking the environmental costs associated with developing the IT sector, including increased energy consumption, harmful emissions, and the urgent issue of electronic waste. According to the World Bank, the ICT sector currently accounts for about 4% of all global CO2 emissions. Minimising these negative impacts necessitates a collective global effort involving both producers and consumers of digital equipment and services.

To mitigate this adverse impact according to ESG standards, leading companies, banks, and government agencies in developed nations are mandated to utilise energy-efficient digital equipment, completely eliminate paper-based document management, embrace virtualisation and cloud technologies, and enhance artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. These measures enable efficient utilisation of computing resources, thereby reducing energy consumption. Energy-saving strategies in offices serve similar purposes: implementing sensors and automatic energy management systems, particularly optimising cooling systems for server computers and other critical equipment. Adhering to these Green IT principles represents an important step toward reducing global IT emissions below 4%.

Speaking at the round-table, Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev noted that global studies predict that ICT sector emissions could reach 8% of total global levels by 2030: "Data centres alone consume about 1% of the world's electricity; in response to these challenges, many countries are optimising data centre operations to reduce energy consumption by approximately 40% through innovative cooling and energy management technologies."

In this context, specialists from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other relevant UN organisations have identified redesigning data processing centres (DPCs) and data centres as key tasks in the "green" transformation of the IT sector. This effort includes optimising cooling schemes for server and computer systems while utilising renewable energy sources for power supply.

The importance of addressing these challenges was highlighted by Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General of ITU, during forums in Baku: "Combating climate change is central to the UN Pact for the Future and its Global Digital Compact; thus, the declaration on green digital transformation is recognised as one of two strategic objectives of the ITU." According to Bogdan-Martin, global IT companies are among the largest purchasers of renewable energy, with some already fully utilising electricity sourced from renewable segments. However, as per ITU’s Greening Digital Companies report, the carbon footprint of the technology sector continues to rise due to escalating global demand for hardware, network services, and particularly energy-intensive data centres and other database storage facilities.

"Green" Data Centres for Azerbaijan

These challenges are pertinent for Azerbaijan as well. In recent years, efforts to enhance data centre capacities have accelerated alongside forming an efficient and secure centralised system referred to as "Government Cloud" (G-cloud). This initiative commenced with a presidential decree dated June 3, 2019, which sanctioned the establishment of G-cloud in Azerbaijan to improve efficiency in forming, storing, maintaining, and integrating government information systems. Currently, project operator AzInTelecom has facilitated full or partial migration of information systems and resources from approximately 200 state structures and institutions as well as private companies to backup data centres located in Baku and Yevlakh. These facilities comply with all requirements set forth by international standard Uptime Institute TIER III. They offer various "cloud" services while ensuring reliable cybersecurity for both main and backup databases—facilitating seamless functionality of web resources through unified processes and standardised operating protocols.

As Azerbaijan's leading cloud provider, AzInTelecom is executing new initiatives under the Green IT framework. Preparations are underway for constructing two new data centres using "green" technologies and decarbonised materials aimed at minimising CO2 emissions. Specifically, solar panels will be installed at these sites. The main and backup data centres will be developed in the Absheron and Hajigabul districts. Innovative solutions encompassing energy efficiency measures, effective water management systems, waste recycling initiatives, and free cooling systems will be integrated into both facilities to maintain ecological balance. These new data centres have already received TIER 3 Design certification—indicating compliance with high international standards for quality, stability, and reliability. AzInTelecom has also obtained a preliminary LEED report necessary for LEED v4 international certification—defining environmental sustainability within data centre infrastructure. To meet elevated environmental standards, a comprehensive plan has been devised to mitigate soil erosion and water pollution throughout construction activities; special attention will be paid to preventing dust exposure, chemical emissions, and indirect air pollution during these processes.

Considering plans to establish Azerbaijan as a digital hub for the Caspian region, efforts to develop data centre infrastructure will continue moving forward. A new data centre is also slated for construction within Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic as part of the "State Programme for Socio-Economic Development of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic for 2023-2027."