Field Demonstration conducted on the application of low-embodied carbon concrete for data centers, targeting a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP), the nonprofit organization bringing hyperscale innovations to the data center industry, announces a new collaboration to test development and deployment of low-embodied carbon concrete or “green concrete.” OCP is facilitating a collaborative effort among leading technology innovators Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Meta, and Microsoft to drive the adoption of low-embodied carbon concrete in data center construction. This collective endeavor, which aligns with the objectives in a previously issued industry call to action, is conducting research through Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) to test the application of low-embodied carbon concrete for data center floors, targeting a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to greater than 50% per cubic yard.

“By aligning OCP Community’s ability to impact the data center building material supply chain, this demonstration project will support the creation of sustainable and scalable data center buildings. Low-embodied carbon concrete represents a significant advancement in environmentally responsible building practices. By reducing the carbon footprint associated with concrete production, we can make a tangible impact in mitigating the data center industry’s environmental impact. This demonstration will provide valuable insights into the performance and viability of low-embodied carbon concrete, paving the way for its widespread adoption throughout the industry,” said George Tchaparian, CEO for the Open Compute Project Foundation.

While numerous emerging technologies exist to achieve production of low carbon concrete, adoption has not yet scaled. This proactive and collaborative demonstration project is an important step towards de-risking these new materials that will help decarbonize concrete. The data and “hands-on” experience provided by a demonstration project supports informed decision making for those wanting to specify these materials in the future.

During this first-of-a-kind demonstration project, the teams completed a series of slab-on-ground placements with four different concrete mixtures with decreasing global warming potential – with the lowest carbon mixture achieving a greater than 50% reduction in carbon impact as compared to today’s typical concrete. The mixture formulas use supplementary cementitious materials, and an alternative cement derived from raw materials and manufacturing processes that are commercially available today but have yet to be used broadly to this degree given perceived and technical implementation risks. To measure and observe performance of the concrete in practice, the implementation team developed a comprehensive test plan, including extensive laboratory and field testing performed by industry experts and construction practitioners. The results of these tests will be used to better understand areas of risk, possible mitigation strategies, and ways to further optimize the mixtures to deliver concrete meeting data center structural performance requirements. These findings will be coalesced into a final whitepaper and made available to the public via OCP to inform other efforts to adopt new concrete technologies.

The demonstration event was held on August 8, 2024, at the WJE facility in Northbrook, IL, and in attendance were senior engineering representatives from AWS, Google, Meta, Microsoft, senior staff from the Open Compute Project Foundation, as well as representatives from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Natural Resources Defense Council, Urban Land Institute, US Department of Energy (DOE), US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as representatives from local and state transportation and tourism agencies, and members of the academic community.

The actions posited by the Open Letter and now this demonstration project are intended to create aggregated demand for low carbon concrete, which in turn will create a market force to drive innovation. Through this open-source approach, our organizations and others can gain confidence in new concrete technologies.

About the Open Compute Project Foundation:
The Open Compute Project (OCP) is a global collaborative Community of hyperscale data center operators, telecom, colocation providers and enterprise IT users, working with the product and solution vendor ecosystem to develop open innovations deployable from the cloud to the edge. The OCP Foundation is responsible for fostering and serving the OCP Community to meet the market and shape the future, taking hyperscale-led innovations to everyone. Meeting the market is accomplished through addressing challenging market obstacles with open specifications, designs and emerging market programs that showcase OCP-recognized IT equipment and data center facility best practices. Shaping the future includes investing in strategic initiatives and programs that prepare the IT ecosystem for major technology changes, such as AI & ML, optics, advanced cooling techniques, composable memory and silicon. OCP Community-developed open innovations strive to benefit all, optimized through the lens of impact, efficiency, scale and sustainability. 

Learn more at: www.opencompute.org.

Contact information:
Dirk Van Slyke
Chief Marketing Officer, Open Compute Project Foundation
Email: dirkv@opencompute.org
Mobile: +1 303-999-7398

Key participant quotes:

“Concrete materials and their use are changing as the construction industry trends towards an increased focus on sustainability and use of low-embodied carbon materials,” explained WJE Principal Thomas Van Dam. “With the introduction and advancement of new concrete technologies, we are helping our clients navigate these industry changes. Through our extensive experience and robust laboratory and field-testing capabilities, we are uniquely positioned to solve problems and serve clients with trusted information to inform their decisions and achieve their objectives in light of the realities of these evolving construction materials and practices.”

– Thomas Van Dam, Ph.D., P.E., FACI, Principal, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

“Amazon is committed to building a sustainable business for our customers and the planet in our journey to reach net-zero carbon emissions ten years ahead of the Paris Agreement. Traditional cement used in concrete is a large source of carbon emissions, but these projects show cement substitutes can be used to lower emissions without compromising the construction and durability of concrete. In 2023, we built 36 data centers with lower-carbon concrete, and we’ll continue working across our supply chain to drive its adoption.”

– Chris Walker, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Director of Sustainability

“This groundbreaking demonstration of low embodied carbon concrete shows the enormous potential in rethinking traditional construction practices and embracing innovative solutions that prioritize environmental stewardship. Google is honored to collaborate with our partners and peers to inspire confidence in the construction industry to integrate more sustainable materials into data center construction projects.”

– Shen Jackson, Director of Strategy and Incubation, Google Data Centers

“To achieve our net zero in 2030 goal, Meta is committed to reducing embodied carbon emissions in our operations and value chain. The development of sustainable building materials is foundational to achieving our own goal and advancing the construction industry. Open sourced initiatives like this project demonstrate the impact that cross-industry collaboration can have to make meaningful progress to advance low carbon concrete in large-scale construction initiatives. We look forward to continuing to work with our industry peers and researchers on this effort.”

– Blair Swedeen, Global Head of Net Zero and Sustainability, Meta

“Microsoft has committed that by 2030 we will become carbon negative. As we pursue that goal, new sustainable materials like low embodied carbon concrete in our datacenter infrastructure is crucial. While we make progress as a company, true decarbonization will only be possible with broad participation across the construction industry. We’re excited about how our ongoing collaboration with our peers and this pilot can help to catalyze the industry to adopt new sustainable technologies that will benefit us all.”

– Katie Ross, Director of Carbon Reduction Strategy & Market Development, Microsoft

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SOURCE Open Compute Project Foundation