NEWS

Of the energy consumed by IT systems at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ), only 23 percent is used for cooling. This gives the data centre a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.23, compared to an average of 1.46 in German data centres. LRZ is similarly economical with water – for one kilowatt-hour (kWh) of cooling output, only 2.3 litres are used in a closed-loop system. A sophisticated water cooling infrastructure in the compute building also eliminates the need for harmful antifreeze chemicals. 

While these efforts have been in place to ensure LRZ operates its high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure as efficiently as possible, they also helped ensure the center would be certified for the first time under the demanding European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) and forms the basis for LRZ being validated  as a sustainable organization. Over the past year, the LRZ systematically organised and documented all sustainability-related measures across various areas of work happening at the institution.

“Ideas for operating our data center efficiently are a deeply ingrained part of the LRZ DNA,” said Prof. Helmut Reiser, deputy director of LRZ. “For decades, we have been researching how to make data center operations more efficient. After all, the money we save on electricity and cooling can be invested in computing performance for science. The calls for electric vehicles in our fleet, for the use of electricity from renewable sources, for waste separation, and for many other measures to minimize environmental impact—these have always come primarily from LRZ employees, who bring forward good ideas and initiatives to use resources more sustainably in everyday operations. With EMAS, we have systematically incorporated these goals and developed a comprehensive environmental management system as well as a sustainability strategy for the LRZ from a wide range of individual measures. The EMAS audit confirmed that our ideas and their implementation are excellent.”

Transparency and Sustainability in Research

LRZ environmental management officers Sophia Kranz and Dr. Hiren Gandhi worked closely  with LRZ staff and leaders from all departments and work areas for more than a year to  compile information and key figures related to the ecological impacts of LRZ activities. For the EMAS certification, additional measuring devices were installed, applicable regulations and laws were reviewed, and—most importantly—existing processes were reconsidered.

Since 2012, LRZ has used only electricity from renewable sources, and since its foundation, it has evaluated strategies for energy-efficient data center operations. In cooperation with technology partners, it developed and continuously improved a direct high-temperature cooling system for high-performance systems. Energy-conscious planning of computing jobs as well as optimisation of scientific codes and algorithms also improve the center’s energy balance. 

With its EMAS certification – and, even more importantly, the accompanying environmental statement, which explains the measures and documents consumption figures – the LRZ offers transparency to the scientific community and to funding agencies in Germany and Europe, which increasingly require evidence of sustainability and resource-efficient project execution.

Efficient Computing and Use of Waste Heat

In addition, the Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG), which came into effect at the end of 2023, requires larger data centres to adhere to standards relating to energy efficiency, waste heat usage, the use of electricity from renewable sources, and transparency about their sustainability. The background is the rapidly increasing electricity demand of IT infrastructures, as well as the realization that waste heat from computing systems can be used cost-effectively for heating or by heat-intensive facilities such as swimming pools or greenhouses.

The LRZ’s environmental statement shows that it already meets most of the legal requirements, and work is underway on the remaining ones – such as supplying heat to neighbouring facilities on the research campus.

For more details, please visit the original LRZ press release: https://www.lrz.de/en/news/detail/lrzs-environmental-management-certified-according-to-emas-standard