Managing the environmental footprint of the cloud
In Europe, digital technology today accounts for 2% to 3% of all electricity consumption, nearly half of which is accounted for by datacenters. With the explosion of digital, and the AI revolution, the share of digital technology in carbon emissions is expected to double or even triple by 2030.
While 2025 marked the first publication of sustainability statements compliant with the CSRD, companies and public-sector players are seeking to control the environmental footprint of their cloud consumption more than ever before. To achieve this, organizations must not only rely on resource-efficient cloud infrastructures, but also have tools that allow them to make informed choices at every stage of their cloud journey, from the migration project through to daily use. This is a responsibility shared between provider and consumer.
OVHcloud customers benefit from an integrated industrial model that makes it possible to optimize all environmental impact related to the operation of datacenters and the use of servers. Thanks to a dynamic of continuous innovation, notably in proprietary cooling technologies enabling a drastic reduction in energy and water consumption, the datacenters of OVHcloud display water and energy efficiency indices among the best in the industry.
In parallel, OVHcloud also deploys environmental measurement and management tools. Upstream, the Group offers decision-support tools on its website in order to help estimate and simulate the environmental performance of its solutions. And downstream, the Environmental Impact Tracker enables its customers to understand and report on the overall impact of actual cloud consumption, so as to better optimize it.
100%
of of the electricity used to power our data centers comes from renewable energy
0.34
L/kWhIT
WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness)
20-30%
of server components reused each year
1.24
PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness)
« Building a sustainable cloud means rethinking the entire industrial chain. As pioneers of a responsible cloud, we have always ensured that we use a resource-efficient model, powered by low-carbon energy and designed to limit our emissions. Our innovations combine performance and durability, while giving our customers the means to better understand, control, and optimize their own environmental impacts. »
GRÉGORY LEBOURG, GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL DIRECTOR
Highlights
Datacenters: Environmental performance enhanced by AI – Thanks to a new generation of server racks and the use of AI to optimize energy performance, the datacenters of OVHcloud will be able to reduce their water consumption by up to 30% and the electricity consumption related to cooling by up to 50%. (October 2025)
Understand and optimize impact with the Environmental Impact Tracker - The most comprehensive tool on the market1, including a full life-cycle analysis, the new Environmental Impact Tracker from OVHcloud is an evolution of the Carbon Calculator deployed in 2023. It aims to measure not only greenhouse gas emissions, but also water, abiotic resources, and the impact of land use. OVHcloud therefore enables its customers to understand, optimize and report on their overall environmental impact on Public Cloud, Bare Metal and Hosted Private Cloud. (July 2025)