August 27, 2024
Students collaborate with Climate Risk Lab to evaluate risk of climate change on data centers
A group of Foster School of Business Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) students teamed up with Professor Phillip Bruner, founder of the University of Washington Climate Risk Lab and sustainable finance expert, to understand the risk that increasing wildfires due to climate change pose on the success of data centers in Eastern Washington.
The demand for massive, high-functioning data centers in the Pacific Northwest has expanded dramatically over the course of time, raising the stakes for public utilities in Eastern Washington to provide reliable energy supply and increasing their risk for severe service disruptions due to greater wildfire occurrences.
Bruner and his team studied the risk that wildfires pose on data centers’ operations, as well as emphasizing the importance of preventative measures and risk mitigation strategies. Their findings showed stakeholders how they can take sufficient action to protect their current facilities and strategically select new locations to reduce the risk of wildfires.