## Core Industry Assumptions Holding Back Net-Zero 1. **All Workloads Require High SLAs** Customers (Procurement, Operations and Engineering) require it so I have no choice. 2. **Data Centers Require Generators** The utility will fail for long durations so we have no choice but to use generators as backups. 3. **Building New Data Centers Will Change Local Ecosystems.** We have no other way to build. We have to bulldoze the land to build big concrete buildings. 4. **My Data Center Design is Different Than My Peers** My company is unique. I could adopt a standard data center design as long as it’s mine.  But, I can’t share it. 5. **I Need 48 hrs of On-Site Energy** Current energy storage solutions cannot achieve this so I have to use generators to handle grid outages. 6. **Diesel Is The Most Reliable Backup** HVO is not a viable fuel for generators. Less output, less efficiency, lack of supply, delivery and support in the right areas. 7. **Micro Grids Are Not Viable** Power generation is a utility issue. Microgrids are more expensive and cannot scale. 8. **Power Utilization is a Tenant Issue** As a colo provider, all of the critical power is allocated. Tenant usage is a customer issue and out of my control. 9. **Clean Energy Is Not a Viable Option** Hard to secure, more expensive, variable supply so it is not a reliable solution. I can’t be on the bleeding edge. We have to provide reliable power today. 10. **There is No Carbon Accounting Business Case** There is nothing  tangible yet. I have to wait for others to prove it first. 11. **The Supply Chain Can’t Support or Scale Alternate Fuels so I Can’t Adopt Them.** HVO, Hydrogen, Sustainable Aviation Fuel are all concepts, not real solutions. 12. **Data Centers Only Provide Economic Value To Local Communities.** We provide jobs and tax revenue. There’s not much more we can do for the local community or justify from an investment standpoint. It is what it is. 13. **We are bound to specific locations because of latency.** We must build data center zones in regional clusters near major cities to deliver for the clients. ### Additional Assumptions Identified 1. **It’s too costly to build green.** The technology does not exist today and it is just too difficult of a problem to solve economically and ecologically. 2. **Only new data centers can be sustainable.** The current data centers are outdated technologically and have too much carbon debt so we have to tear down and start again. 3. **The supply chain is already streamlined.** Collaboration has diminishing returns because everyone has already optimized their piece. 4. **Regulations restrict my ability to be innovative.** It’s too difficult to navigate these rules. It limits our ability to try new things. ## Key Message The industry has normalized assumptions that lock in inefficiency and carbon intensity. Challenging these beliefs is essential for aligning digital infrastructure with sustainability and net-zero goals. **Source:** InterGlobix Magazine, Issue 13 (Nov 28, 2023) **Author:** Dean Nelson (CEO, Cato Digital & Founder, Infrastructure Masons)