Power consumption is a pretty big issue in the big data world, with data servers estimated to consume around 1.5% of all energy globally. But for the northwestern corner of the United States, data servers could account for as much as 10% of all energy consumption by 2030 if companies cannot advance the efficiency of their architecture.

A recent article draws attention to the fact that Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google are all building, or have already built, massive data centers in the northwest, drawn in by the attractions of local tax incentives and some of the cheapest energy costs in the country.

There are a number of reasons why data centers are often clustered together, such as the need for a reliable electricity supply and the need for cheap, rural land on which to build such facilities. In addition, the northwest benefits from a relatively cool climate, meaning that for much of the year these data centers don’t need to run expensive air conditioning.

Even so, energy demands are set to increase, which is why we are seeing a trend towards more efficient technology as more data centers are being built. Only yesterday, we reported on the launch of one of the most energy-efficient servers ever built – AMD’s SeaMicro SM15000, which is designed for cloud computing and built using ARM architecture, similar to what is used in low-power mobile phones. Other companies are exploring more energy-efficient options too; Intel has recently been experimenting with cooling its data servers by immersing them in oil, while Toshiba has developed an advanced cooling technology specifically for data servers located in the tropics.

However, not everyone is impressed with (or even aware of) these advancements, which have yet to be widely adopted, and it’s not certain whether or not they’ll ever be able to keep up with the rapidly growing demand for new data centers.