Hitachi Vantara ups energy efficiency & sets new carbon goals

Hitachi Vantara has released its FY2024 Sustainability Report, detailing progress on energy efficiency, carbon emissions reduction and responsible business practices over the past year.

This second annual report presents Hitachi Vantara's advancements in areas such as energy-efficient infrastructure, the expansion of global greenhouse gas (GHG) management and the introduction of new sustainability tools designed to help customers monitor their energy and carbon usage.

The company's storage solutions achieved ENERGY STAR certifications, with several models recognised for their strong performance and energy efficiency. Notably, the Virtual Storage Platform One Block (VSP One Block) secured the highest position in the ENERGY STAR NVSS Disk Online 4 category, with Hitachi Vantara holding the top two rankings for energy-efficient storage systems in this category.

In its efforts to reduce reliance on non-renewable energy, Hitachi Vantara's solar-powered distribution centre in the Netherlands generated around 30% of its electricity needs from on-site solar, while the remainder was supplied through accredited Energy Attribute Certificates. This arrangement ensures that the facility is powered entirely by renewable sources.

Hitachi Vantara reported that 40% by weight of the materials used in the bezels of its VSP One Block and File storage products are sourced from post-consumer recycled plastics.

These components meet safety standards for flame resistance. The company has stated intentions to increase recycled content in these products to 50% by FY2030, extending sustainable material usage to drive canisters, biomass-based components and through ongoing IT resource recycling efforts.

Within the reporting year, Hitachi Vantara consumed 78,211 MWh of energy, with 90% coming from grid electricity and 35% derived from renewable resources such as solar and wind. Following a data centre refresh at its Denver facility in 2024, the company reduced its energy consumption by half and improved its power usage effectiveness (PUE) from 1.6 to 1.3 by reorganising the physical layout, consolidating infrastructure and optimising airflow.

The company has committed to achieving carbon neutrality for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by FY2030 and has set a long-term goal of reaching carbon neutrality across its entire value chain by FY2050.

In response to the challenges presented by the growing energy demands of artificial intelligence and data-intensive workloads, the report cites a 2024 Department of Energy analysis indicating that data centres accounted for 4% of US electricity use last year, with a projection to rise to 12% by 2028. The company asserts that operational costs and environmental impact can be constrained by prioritising efficiency alongside performance.

"We're proud of the progress we've made since our inaugural Sustainability Report, but we know the journey doesn't end there," said Sheila Rohra, CEO of Hitachi Vantara. "Our focus remains on highlighting how sustainability, particularly in the data centre, can be both a key driver of innovation and a business differentiator – from reducing carbon emissions to helping businesses achieve energy savings, enhance operational efficiency and meet their broader sustainability goals."

The report also highlights the degree to which Hitachi Vantara's solutions support customers' sustainability efforts.

For example, Italian pasta producer La Molisana reported a 30% reduction in data centre energy consumption and a 2.5x improvement in response times following the deployment of VSP One Block storage, aligning with the company's sustainability and efficiency targets. Maurizio Maio, CIO of La Molisana, said, "Sustainability was an important factor in our selection of VSP One Block. Although the energy consumption of our data centre is relatively low compared to our manufacturing operations, we are keen to implement eco-friendly IT solutions. The energy-efficient VSP One Block aligns perfectly with our vision."

In India, media company Malayala Manorama benefited from a new, lower-latency infrastructure, reducing rack space by 66% and cutting power and cooling costs by 70%. Estonia's Elisa Eesti, one of the country's largest telecommunications providers, saw a tripling of its energy efficiency and a notable reduction in its carbon footprint after modernising its infrastructure with Hitachi Vantara's Virtual Storage Platform.

The FY2024 Sustainability Report also introduces a new Sustainability Guarantee, a commitment to be included with future storage platform offerings such as VSP One. Under this guarantee, customers are provided with mechanisms to track and optimise energy consumption, with assurances of a maximum power consumption target to support corporate sustainability objectives.