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Vertiv Sees Energy Use, Efficiency Loom Large as Data Center Industry Turns to 2023

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3 years ago

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Vertiv

Managing consumption and carbon footprint driving trends toward regulation, standardization, and the search for generator alternatives

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, November 21, 2022/APO Group/ — 

Data centers will experience increased regulation and third-party oversight in 2023 as the world continues to grapple with the industry’s rising energy and water consumption against the backdrop of ongoing climate change. The intensified focus on the overall environmental and community impact of the data center is one of five industry trends for 2023 identified by the global data center experts at Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) (http://bit.ly/3ElZ8ix), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions.

“The data center industry is growing rapidly as more and more applications require compute and storage, driving a corresponding rapid increase in energy and water use in data center facilities. The industry has understood that pursuing energy and water efficiency aggressively is key for future success and survival,” said Giordano Albertazzi, Vertiv Chief Operating Officer and president, Americas. “Increased regulation is inevitable and will lead to important innovations across our industry. The process may not always be easy or linear, but it can be navigated with the help of expert data center partners and innovative solutions that can anticipate the changes while meeting the always increasing requirements of the data center applications.”

The advances in chip design and manufacturing that limited server power consumption through the first decade and a half of the 2000s reached their limits in recent years, and a spike in the amount of energy servers use has followed. In a recent report, Silicon heatwave: the looming change in data center climates (http://bit.ly/3EoKkQe), the Uptime Institute cited data from the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) that showed server power consumption increasing by 266% since 2017. This surge is among various technical and market forces driving the focus on environmental awareness and sustainability in several of the 2023 trends identified by Vertiv’s experts. Those trends are:

Data centers face increasing regulation

Mounting pressures to meet consumer demand for energy and water are forcing governments at all levels to take a harder look at data centers and their outsized consumption of those resources. Data centers are estimated to be responsible for up to 3% of global electricity consumption (http://bit.ly/3tOikjS) today and projected to touch 4% by 2030. The average hyperscale facility consumes 20-50MW annually – theoretically enough electricity to power up to 37,000 homes (https://bit.ly/3tOikjS). Vertiv’s experts expect this to prompt increasing governmental scrutiny in 2023.  

It’s happening in some places already. Dublin, Ireland, and Singapore have taken steps to control data center energy use, and data center water consumption – especially in areas prone to drought – is likely to trigger similar scrutiny (http://bit.ly/3OpCoT7). According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the water usage effectiveness (WUE) (http://bit.ly/3VbkyWn) of an average data center using evaporative cooling systems is 1.8L per kWh. That type of data center can consume 3-5 million gallons of water per day (https://bit.ly/3OpCoT7) – similar to the capacity used by a city of 30,000-50,000 people. The industry will continue to take steps to self-monitor and moderate – including an increasing preference for environmentally-friendly thermal designs – but 2023 will see increases in regulatory oversight.

Hyperscalers and others shop off the rack

According to a recent Omdia survey, 99% of enterprise data center operators say prefabricated, modular data center designs will be a part of their future data center strategy. That’s more than a trend; it’s the new normal. In 2023, Vertiv’s experts anticipate a continuing shift in the same direction among hyperscalers as they seek the speed and efficiencies standardization delivers.

This is a newer concept for the world’s leading cloud providers, and they’re turning to colocation providers (http://bit.ly/3V0Pg4Y) – who have been standardizing for years – to make it happen. Specifically, those cloud providers are outsourcing their new builds to colos to leverage their in-market expertise, proven repeatability, and speed of deployment. In short order, standardization – ranging from modular components, such as power and cooling modules and skids, to full-fledged prefabricated facilities – will become the default approach not just for the enterprise, but also hyperscale and the edge of the network.

The industry has understood that pursuing energy and water efficiency aggressively is key for future success and survival

Diesel generators see real competition

The diesel generator has long been an imperfect but inescapable piece of the data center ecosystem. It represents stored energy that largely goes unused while still requiring maintenance or fuel replacement after periods of inactivity. Then, when pressed into service, generators produce carbon emissions operators are desperately trying to avoid. Already, some organizations are relying on batteries for longer load support – up to five minutes in some cases – and even designing their data centers with minimal generator capacity.

These are transitional steps to minimize the role of the generator as the industry searches for other options – including new battery technologies – for extended backup power. In 2023, Vertiv’s experts anticipate a preferred alternative will emerge – specifically hydrogen fuel cells. These fuel cells will function much like a generator at first, providing momentary load support, and eventually hold promise for sustained or even continuous operation.

Higher densities alter thermal strategies

After years of relatively static rack densities, data center operators are increasingly requesting higher-density racks. According to the Uptime Institute’s 2022 Global Data Center Survey (http://bit.ly/3EQaoVU), more than a third of data center operators say their rack densities have rapidly increased in the past three years. This is especially true among larger enterprise and hyperscale data centers, where nearly half of those operating facilities at 10MW and above reported racks above 20kW and 20% claimed racks higher than 40kW.

This is consistent with the maturity of liquid-cooled server technologies and increasing acceptance and adoption of such technologies. The aforementioned increases in server power consumption are happening as the need to add capacity quickly is growing, challenging operators from all sides. This leaves them little choice but to explore the boundaries of existing facilities by adding computing in tight spaces, increasing rack densities, and creating thermal profiles that require liquid cooling. While liquid cooling is not a new technology, the early wave of successful, efficient, problem-free deployments in high-density environments has provided proof of concept that will boost adoption in the coming year. The addition of direct-to-chip cooling to new OCP and Open19 standards will only accelerate this trend.

5G meets the metaverse at the edge

Omdia, in its 2022 Mobile Subscription and Revenue Forecast (http://bit.ly/3XkHogc), projects nearly half of all mobile subscriptions – more than 5.8 billion – to be 5G by 2027, pushing computing closer and closer to the user. The metaverse is an application in search of an ultra-dense, low-latency computing network. In 2023, we’ll see these two activities intersect, with metaverse implementations leveraging 5G networks to enable the ultra-low latency features the application demands. Ultimately, this will require higher powered computing in those 5G edge locations, and we’ll see that happening soon – with early forays in 2023 followed by more widespread deployments in the years after. As the edge of the network becomes more sophisticated, so will the infrastructure needed to support it. This will include technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality planning and management systems and increased adoption of lithium-ion UPS systems at the edge – an ongoing trend that saw share increase from 2% of sales in August 2021 to 8% in August 2022, according to IDC.

“In recent years, sustainability has been the greatest focus area for the data center industry, and that aligns with the 2023 emphasis on increased regulation from governments, as well as interest in alternative energy sources,” said Karsten Winther, Vertiv president for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “As we move forward, data center owners and operators will need to choose an infrastructure solutions partner that is able to advise them on the best practices and technologies to help them meet their ‘net zero’ goals. With greater innovation and industry transformation, particularly in 5G and the metaverse, 2023 will be an exciting year for our customers and industry.”

For more information on 2023 industry trends and Vertiv solutions for data center and communication networks, visit Vertiv.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Vertiv.

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Energy

U.S.-Africa Energy & Minerals Forum Expands to Critical Minerals and Supply Chain Security

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2 days ago

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February 27, 2026

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Africa

This year’s U.S.-Africa Energy & Minerals Forum in Houston signals a strategic shift toward integrated energy and critical minerals investment, strengthening U.S. partnerships across Africa’s resource and industrial value chains

HOUSTON, United States of America, February 26, 2026/APO Group/ –The U.S.-Africa Energy & Minerals Forum (USAEMF) has relaunched with a dedicated focus on critical minerals, marking an important evolution in its role as a platform for U.S.-Africa commercial engagement. Building on its foundation in energy, power and industrial projects, the forum’s expanded scope positions it at the center of investment conversations shaping the future energy economy.

 

Scheduled for July 21–22, 2026, in Houston, Texas, USAEMF comes at a time of surging global demand for copper, cobalt, lithium, manganese and rare earth elements, driven by electrification, battery storage, AI infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. Africa is increasingly critical to securing these materials, highlighting how energy and minerals are now interconnected pillars of industrial growth, geopolitical stability and decarbonization.

The forum’s minerals mandate deepens engagement with African producers – particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), home to some of the world’s largest copper and cobalt reserves. Momentum is building through the U.S.–DRC strategic minerals framework and the U.S.-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium, a major investment platform supported by the DFC and private partners. The consortium is pursuing a 40% stake in the Mutanda and Kamoto copper-cobalt operations in a $9 billion transaction, securing long-term supply for allied markets while reinforcing cooperation on infrastructure, security and supply-chain governance.

Placing critical minerals at the center while maintaining strong hydrocarbons engagement strengthens U.S.-Africa commercial ties

U.S. financing is also expanding across the region, with the DFC managing a continental portfolio exceeding $13 billion to support mining, processing and transport infrastructure for critical mineral supply chains. Recent commitments include rare earth, graphite and potash projects in Malawi, Mozambique and Gabon; broader investments in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa; and $553 million linked to the development of the Lobito Corridor. The DFC is also a major backer of TechMet, a U.S.-supported investment firm valued at over $1 billion, which is raising up to $200 million to expand copper, cobalt, lithium and rare earth assets and pursue new opportunities across the DRC and Zambia. Together, these initiatives underscore Washington’s push to diversify battery-mineral supply while positioning Africa as a long-term partner in clean energy and industrial value chains.

Houston’s role as host city reflects the alignment between American industrial capacity and African resource development. Long established as a global energy hub, the city is expanding into energy transition technologies, advanced materials, carbon management and industrial innovation. By convening African governments with U.S. private equity, development finance institutions, exporters, insurers and technical service providers, the forum creates a commercial platform capable of converting mineral potential into bankable projects.

“The evolution from USAEF to USAEMF reflects a broader shift toward integrated energy and mineral development,” states Nadine Levin, Portfolio Director at Energy Capital & Power, forum organizers. “Placing critical minerals at the center while maintaining strong hydrocarbons engagement strengthens U.S.-Africa commercial ties and advances projects that deliver long-term shared value.”

While critical minerals define the forum’s strategic expansion, the U.S.’ longstanding role in Africa’s energy sector remains central to the platform’s value proposition. American energy companies continue to advance exploration and development across key upstream markets, support gas monetization in the Gulf of Guinea and revitalize mature production in North Africa. U.S. export credit and development finance are also helping unlock large-scale LNG capacity in Mozambique while supporting optimization and expansion across existing gas infrastructure in West Africa – demonstrating how American capital, engineering expertise and risk-mitigation tools convert resource potential into delivered energy systems.

USAEMF is the leading platform connecting U.S. capital and technical expertise with Africa’s energy and minerals sectors. For more information or to participate at the upcoming forum, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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Business

Pesalink and Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) Unlock Cross-Border Payments in Local Currencies in Kenya

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2 days ago

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February 27, 2026

By

Pesalink

The Pesalink–PAPSS partnership will reduce costs, speed up settlements, and help individuals, SMEs and businesses send money more efficiently across borders

NAIROBI, Kenya, February 26, 2026/APO Group/ —

  • Instant 24/7 bank-to-bank transfers across African borders in local currencies.
  • Simpler cross-border payments for individuals, businesses, and SMEs.
  • 80 plus Pesalink network participants now linked to 160 plus PAPSS participating banks.

 

Pesalink, Kenya’s de facto instant payment network, has partnered with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to ease cross-border payment and speed up regional financial integration.

 

The partnership enables instant 24/7 cross-border payments from PAPSS participants into banks and mobile money operators within the Pesalink network in Kenya, all settled in local currencies. This reduces complex correspondent banking requirements and reliance on foreign reserve currencies.

 

Kenyan banks will now be able to offer faster, cheaper cross-border payments

PAPSS, an initiative of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat, enables cross-border payments between African countries. Pesalink is now a Technical Connectivity Provider. It means that 80 plus Kenyan bank, fintech, SACCO and telco participants on the Pesalink network will be connected to 160 plus commercial banks and fintechs on the PAPSS platform.

 

Cross-border payments remain expensive and slow for many African businesses. The 2023 (http://apo-opa.co/4baDSh7) World Bank Remittance Prices report indicates that sending money across African borders incurs on average 7-8% of the total value sent (above the global average of 6–7%). Settlement can also take three to seven business days.

 

The Pesalink–PAPSS partnership will reduce costs, speed up settlements, and help individuals, SMEs and businesses send money more efficiently across borders.

 

Speaking during the partnership signing held at Pesalink offices in Nairobi, PAPSS CEO Mike Ogbalu III said, “For PAPSS to deliver true impact, collaboration with national and private switches like Pesalink is essential. Pesalink is the first switch we’ve piloted for transaction termination in Kenya, and we are already seeing greater adoption by opening more channels for seamless, local-currency cross-border payments across Africa.”

 

Pesalink CEO, Gituku Kirika, said “Kenyan banks will now be able to offer faster, cheaper cross-border payments. They will be helping their customers grow more regional trading relationships and thrive in a more integrated digital economy.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Africa Trade Conference Returns to Cape Town with Esteemed Speakers Driving Africa’s Trade Agenda

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2 days ago

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February 27, 2026

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Africa

Second edition convenes global policymakers, business leaders, and innovators to accelerate Africa’s integration into global trade

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 26, 2026/APO Group/ –Access Bank Plc (www.AccessBankPLC.com) is proud to announce the distinguished line-up of speakers for the second edition of the Africa Trade Conference (ATC 2026), scheduled to take place on March 11, 2026, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa. Building on the strong foundation of its inaugural edition, ATC 2026 will convene an exceptional assembly of global and African leaders, policymakers, investors, and business executives committed to shaping the future of trade on the continent.

The Africa Trade Conference has rapidly emerged as a premier platform for advancing dialogue and action around Africa’s evolving role in global commerce. The 2026 edition will feature influential voices from across finance, government, development institutions, and the private sector, who will share insights on unlocking trade opportunities, strengthening intra-African commerce, enabling business expansion, and positioning African enterprises for global competitiveness.

The confirmed speakers represent a powerful cross-section of leaders driving Africa’s economic transformation.

Building on the momentum of its maiden edition, which convened senior decision-makers from 28 countries, the 2026 conference with the theme “Turning Vision into Velocity: Building Africa’s Trade Ecosystem for Real-World Impact”, will have the keynote address delivered by Kennedy Mbekeani, Director General, Southern Africa Region, African Development Bank (AfDB), alongside Kwabena Ayirebi, Managing Director, Banking Operations at the African Export-Import Bank. Their joint keynote will address the evolving financing landscape for African trade and the strategic pathways for unlocking continental prosperity.

The welcome address will be delivered by Roosevelt Ogbonna, CEO/GMD, Access Bank Plc, who will set the tone for discussions centered on trade transformation, financial inclusion, and regional competitiveness, while Tolu Oyekan, Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group, will deliver insights on “Africa Trade Outlook 2026”, examining emerging macroeconomic trends, supply chain shifts, and growth opportunities across key sectors.  The CEO of Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, Mike Ogbalu, will be engaging the conference participants on the topic, “Building a Connected Africa Through Trade, Payments & Technology”, focusing on how payment interoperability and digital infrastructure can accelerate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agenda.

The calibre of speakers confirmed for this year’s conference underscores the urgency and opportunity before us

The conference will also host a High-Level Ministerial Panel that features Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness & Industry, Ghana; Tiroeaone Ntsima, Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Botswana; Mr. Florian Witt, Divisional Head, International & Corporate Banking Oddo-BHF, Ms. Nathalie Louat – Global Director, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Dr Isaiah Rathumba – Head of Department, Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism and Mr. Alfred Idialu – Chief Rep Officer, Deutsche Bank among other policymakers shaping trade policy across the continent.

Commenting on the announcement, Roosevelt Ogbonna, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, said:
“The Africa Trade Conference reflects our unwavering commitment to advancing Africa’s economic transformation by creating a platform that brings together the leaders, institutions, and ideas shaping the future of trade. The calibre of speakers confirmed for this year’s conference underscores the urgency and opportunity before us. Africa is not only participating in global trade, it is helping to redefine it. Through this convening, we aim to catalyse partnerships, unlock new opportunities for businesses, and accelerate Africa’s integration into global value chains.”

“At Access Bank, we see ourselves not just as financiers, but as connectors of markets, ideas, and opportunities. Our role is to help African businesses move from ambition to impact, from local relevance to global competitiveness.”

With operations in 24 countries globally, including 16 across Africa, Access Bank’s expansive footprint places it in a unique position to facilitate cross-border trade, unlock regional value chains, and simplify the complexities of doing business across markets.

“Our presence across Africa and key global corridors gives us a front-row seat to the realities of trade. It also gives us the responsibility to design solutions that are inclusive, scalable, and future facing. ATC 2026 is part of that commitment, Ogbonna added.

ATC 2026 is expected to catalyze partnerships, enable policy dialogue, and provide actionable strategies for businesses operating within and beyond the continent.

The Access Bank Chief puts it thus, “Africa will not be a spectator in the remaking of global trade. We will be one of its architects. ATC 2026 is where those blueprints will be drawn.”

For more information and registration, please visit https://apo-opa.co/4sdXWF7

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Access Bank PLC.

 

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