The race between consumption and efficiency: A retrospective view of data centre server architecture

The IEA’s Digital Demand-Driven Electricity Networks (3DEN) Initiative, the IEA 4E TCP Efficient, Demand Flexible Networked Appliances (EDNA), and the Super-Efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative are co-organising a webinar focused on the energy efficiency of data centre server architectures. As servers are the primary contributors to electricity demand in data centres, understanding how their efficiency has evolved over time, and where it is headed, is essential for effective energy and digitalisation policy. This session will explore new insights from a decade-long retrospective analysis of server energy efficiency trends, highlighting implications for future electricity demand, efficiency planning, and policy action.

Webinar Focus

This webinar will explore three interrelated themes shaping the future of data centre energy use.

The race between consumption and efficiency

Demand for digital services continues to rise, driven by developments in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, streaming, and the Internet of Things. While these trends increase electricity use in data centres, improvements in server energy efficiency are helping to partially offset this growth. This session will frame the challenge of how to sustain or accelerate efficiency progress to keep pace with rising workloads and energy demand.

A decade of progress: retrospective analysis of server energy efficiency

Drawing on new research supported by EDNA, the session will present detailed findings on the energy efficiency of servers over the past decade. It includes comparative assessments of general purpose servers, accelerated computing chips, and application-specific integrated circuits, revealing compound annual growth rates in efficiency of 26 percent, 49 percent, and 47 percent respectively. The analysis also highlights the methodological complexities of evaluating server efficiency, including diverse hardware and workload types, lack of standardised assumptions, and shifting technology boundaries.

Policy implications and future considerations

The results of this retrospective analysis have clear relevance for energy and digital policy. As computing continues to evolve, server energy performance remains a critical lever for managing overall data centre electricity use. This session will explore what the findings mean for forward-looking policy approaches, how performance tracking can be improved, and what role government and industry can play in aligning innovation with energy system needs.

This session is designed for policymakers, digital infrastructure analysts, technology developers, and energy planners seeking to better understand the past and future trajectory of server energy performance in data centres.

The IEA gratefully acknowledges the support of the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security as part of their contributions to the IEA’s Digital Demand-Driven Electricity Networks (3DEN) Initiative on power system modernisation and the Clean Energy Transitions Programme.