Sustainability benchmarks

1.54

Global average data center PUE was 1.54 in the Uptime Institute 2025 Global Data Center Survey — the sixth consecutive year the figure has been virtually flat

Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2025

945 TWh by 2030

Global data center electricity consumption is projected to more than double to around 945 TWh by 2030 — slightly more than Japan's total electricity use today — with AI the main driver

IEA — Energy and AI (2025)

~50% of demand growth

About half of the global growth in data center electricity demand to 2030 is expected to be met by renewables, supported by storage and grid expansion

IEA — Energy and AI (2025)

≥500 kW must report

The EU Energy Efficiency Directive (recast, 2023) requires data centers with IT power demand of 500 kW or more to publicly report energy performance annually — including PUE, WUE, energy reuse factor and renewable energy factor — to a European database, with annual reporting each 15 May

European Data Centre Association — Energy Efficiency Directive

reporting, not PUE caps

The EED sets mandatory sustainability reporting but no EU-wide PUE cap; performance thresholds (such as Germany's PUE limits) are left to individual member states

Socomec — EU Energy Efficiency Directive guidance for data centres

PUE ≤ 1.3

Singapore's Green Data Centre Roadmap targets PUE of 1.3 or lower at 100% IT load for data centers within 10 years, and ties new capacity allocations to energy efficiency and renewable-energy plans

Mayer Brown — Singapore's Green Data Centre Roadmap (2024)

~1.8 L/kWh

Cloud industry average water usage effectiveness is around 1.8 L/kWh, versus roughly 0.15–0.30 L/kWh reported by the most water-efficient hyperscale fleets

OVHcloud sustainability press kit (citing industry average)