The new report published by the Norwegian Data Center Industry shows that the country is benefiting from the world's rapid digitalisation and is set to grow even faster in the years ahead with the increased adoption of AI & HPC.
The report also:
1. Debunks myths about the sector
2. Shows how the Government is taking positive steps to grow and nurture the sector and;
3. Explains why crypto does not feature.
The summary states:
"Norway and the Nordic countries are well positioned when large global players consider locations for the processing and storage of their data. A cool climate reduces the use of energy for cooling. The energy used is renewable, in contrast to countries such as Germany and the UK where the CO2 intensity per kWh (gCO₂eq/kWh) can be up to twelve times as high."
Why locate data centers in Norway?
A key part of the report looked at why Norway was such an optimal destination for locating data centers and highlighted the following points:
Norway has:
- a cool climate - ideal for cooling hot server rooms
- an abundance of renewable energy - Norway is Europe's largest producer of hydro power, the main energy source in the country
- a stable government - Norway is a stable democracy with a well-functioning government
- a highly-skilled workforce - Norway has a high proportion of university-educated employees and those with technical expertise.
The image below from our friends over at Electricity Maps shows the average energy mix in a number of countries from December 2022 to November 2023. It ranks a country based on its g/CO2 per kWh resulting from its energy production, where the greener the country is the lower the carbon emissions. Norway outperforms many other countries with around 96 percent renewable energy and emissions of 36 grams of CO2 equivalents per kWh.
To read the full report click on the link below.
References:
Norwegian Data Center Industry
Electricity Maps