European Union Energy Efficiency Directive (EED)

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This information is relevant to customers in EU IBXs only.

In 2023, the European Union introduced the revised Energy Efficiency Directive (EED, EU/2023/1791) that requires data centers to report energy efficiency data to the European Commission.

To comply with this new directive, Equinix is required to collect data from customers annually and report on the following two specific data categories on an aggregated basis:

• Data traffic indicators: incoming and outgoing data bandwidth and traffic for 2025.
• ICT capacity indicators: newly installed server and storage capacity between 7 June 2024 and 31 December 2025.

If you are not already doing so, we encourage you to start collecting this data now.

Uploading Your Data

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You need to have the Company Administrator role to load Energy Efficient data.

1. Sign in to the Customer Portal

2. From the left navigation menu, under Tools, click Energy Efficiency Directive.

   

3. A list of all cages in the EU will display. Click Download Data.

   

4. A .CSV file with a list of all cages in the EU will download. Open the file.

5. Populate the data traffic and ICT capacity indicators for each cage in the .CSV file.

   

   warning

   Do NOT edit the data in columns A through G. Editing columns A through G will cause the file to fail to upload.

6. Save the file.

7. Click Upload File and select the saved .CSV file.

   

   While the upload is in progress, the .CSV file will display as Uploading. Once the upload is complete, the File uploaded message will display.

   

8. If the uploaded .CSV file contains unaccepted data, click the error report link that displays in the Invalid File Upload error message.

The error report explains the error.

1. Fix the error in the original file and then repeat this process.

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If the data needs to be updated, update the .CSV file and reload. Data is only updated. It does not sum data with previously provided data. There is no history of previously loaded data.

Data Traffic Indicators

Incoming and outgoing data bandwidth and traffic.

• Incoming traffic bandwidth (“BIN”, in gigabytes per second): Incoming traffic bandwidth shall be measured as the total provisioned bandwidth for incoming traffic to the data center computer room, aggregated for all the connectivity capacity, and averaged over the year.

• Outgoing traffic bandwidth (“BOUT”, in gigabytes per second): Outgoing traffic bandwidth shall be measured as the total provisioned bandwidth for outgoing traffic from the data center computer room, aggregated for all the connectivity capacity, and averaged over the year.

• Incoming data traffic (“TIN”, in exabytes): Incoming data traffic shall be measured as the total incoming data to the data center computer room, aggregated over the course of the reporting year, irrespective of the number of the data center’s connections.

• Outgoing data traffic (“TOUT”, in exabytes): Outgoing data traffic shall be measured as the total outgoing data from the data center computer room, aggregated over the course of the reporting year, irrespective of the number of the data center’s connections.

• For the above listed data traffic indicators, Equinix interprets this to mean you need not include interconnections with other customers within the same data center. For this reason, we request the customer to report only the traffic bandwidth and data traffic for incoming and outgoing connections to and from the data center.

ICT Capacity Indicators

Newly installed server and storage capacity.

• Server Capacity: Sum of SERT active state performance rating or equivalent for all new servers installed. For 2025, the required information is for servers installed from 7 June 2024 (the day after the regulation became enforced) to 31 December 2025 (the end of the reporting year). If you need to access data submitted during the last reporting cycle to make the calculation, select the reporting year from the drop-down menu on the page.

  • SERT™ stands for Server Efficiency Rating Tool and it was developed by SPEC® in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess computer server energy efficiency for ENERGY STAR certification.

  • The tool evaluates both a server’s work capacity and power demand when delivering a given workload – a higher score indicates a more efficient or productive server.

  • The SERT score should be obtainable directly from the server manufacturer, or the rating for common models can be looked up on Energy Star Website using model name and the number of CPU sockets.

• Storage capacity: Sum of storage capacity of all new SSD and HDD storage devices installed. For 2025, the required information is for SSD and HDD storage devices installed from 7 June 2024 (the day after the regulation became enforced) to 31 December 2025 (the end of the reporting year). If you need to access data submitted during the last reporting cycle to make the calculation, select the reporting year from the drop-down menu on the page.

  • Information available as part of manufacturer specification or can be checked by the server operator.

FAQs

How will the data be collected anonymously and securely?

The data will be collected using a secure and confidential form on the Customer Portal. The data collection tool, which will be available in January 2025, will allow customers to easily submit the necessary data.

Will Equinix have access to the data provided?

Limited teams within Equinix will have access to customer data for the sole purpose of collating the information on an aggregated basis for reporting. The information will not be used or distributed for any other purpose.

What is the time frame for submitting data?

We will ask customers to submit their data for 2025 between 15 January and 15 March 2026.

What is the background of this topic?

In 2023, the European Union published a revised Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) that established “energy efficiency first” as a fundamental principle of EU energy policy and aims to reduce energy consumption in the EU by 2030. As part of this directive, Equinix must annually collect and report two specific data categories for all servers, including our customers in Equinix data centers in the European Union.

Is there another way to submit my data?

Please speak to your Customer Success Manager if you are unable to submit data via the Equinix Customer Platform.

For how many years will I be required to provide this data?

Currently, Equinix is required to report annually on this information. Equinix will monitor if these legal requirements change.

What role does Equinix play in this?

As the data center operator, Equinix is in scope of the Energy Efficiency Directive and is required to request customer data and report the collected data at the IBX-level.

Does this also apply to other equipment?

This specific measure only addresses servers, not other equipment. Equinix supports energy efficiency and recommends always using energy-saving equipment or settings where possible.

Can I provide data for multiple locations in a single submission?

Customers can submit data for all of the cages in their organization at one time.

Can I access the data after submission?

The data will be visible in the User Interface of the Customer Portal.

Can I make changes or updates to the data once it has been submitted?

Customers can download the data and resubmit until 15 March 2026. Once that date has passed, the data will be locked from changes.

Will Equinix provide support or assistance to customers who may face challenges in collecting or submitting the required data?

We are available to answer questions from customers on the collection of this data. Please speak to your Customer Success Manager.

I still have questions. Who can I contact to get answers?

If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to your Customer Success Manager.