On July 23rd, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Energy Administration, and the National Data Administration released the "Special Action Plan for Green and Low Carbon Development of Data Centers" (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan"). Data centers are important infrastructure supporting the development of new quality productivity, and they are also one of the areas in China where energy consumption is growing rapidly The relevant person in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission stated that actively promoting the green and low-carbon development of data centers, controlling the entry barriers for new projects, accelerating the energy-saving and carbon reduction transformation of existing projects, and promoting the upgrading of energy consuming equipment are of great significance in supporting the achievement of the binding indicators for reducing energy intensity during the 14th Five Year Plan period. In the view of Professor Li Zhen from the School of Aerospace Science and Technology at Tsinghua University, data centers are one of the main infrastructures of information technology, as well as the carrier and engine for the development of digital industries. The Action Plan issued this time will help integrate existing computing resources, optimize future computing layout, promote the application of advanced technologies, take multiple measures to reduce data center energy consumption and carbon emissions, and assist in achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. The Action Plan proposes the main goals for green and low-carbon development of data centers based on two time points, 2025 and 2030. By the end of 2025, the layout of data centers nationwide will be more reasonable, with an overall shelving rate of no less than 60%, an average electricity utilization efficiency of less than 1.5, an average annual growth rate of 10% in renewable energy utilization, and a significant improvement in average unit computing power energy efficiency and carbon efficiency. By the end of 2030, the average electricity utilization efficiency, unit computing power energy efficiency, and carbon efficiency of data centers nationwide will reach the international advanced level, and the utilization rate of renewable energy will be further improved. The waste heat utilization rate of newly built large and above data centers in northern heating areas will be significantly improved. The Action Plan proposes six key tasks, including optimizing construction layout, managing new projects, transforming existing projects, utilizing renewable energy, conserving and intensively utilizing resources, and promoting energy-saving technology and equipment. For example, in terms of improving the layout of data center construction, the Action Plan proposes to strengthen the rigid constraints of the "East Data West Computing" planning layout. Newly built large and super large data centers should be prioritized for layout within the national integrated computing power network national hub node data center cluster, with a hierarchical and orderly layout of national hub nodes, provincial data centers, and edge data centers. In terms of improving the utilization level of renewable energy, the Action Plan proposes to encourage data centers to increase the utilization rate of renewable energy through participating in green electricity and green certificate transactions. Encourage relevant regions to explore the development of direct green power supply for data centers. By the end of 2025, a bidirectional collaborative mechanism for computing power and electricity will be initially formed, and the proportion of green electricity in newly built data centers at national hub nodes will exceed 80%. In terms of strengthening resource conservation and intensive utilization, the Action Plan proposes to explore the joint operation mode of data and electricity, and support power plants to provide power, steam, water and other resource services for newly built data centers. Strengthen the capacity building of data center load regulation and encourage data centers with conditions to participate in power demand side management. Continuously improve the recycling and reuse of waste data center facilities and equipment, and coordinate the upgrading, renovation, and recycling of key energy consuming equipment. Yan Yongzhe, Deputy Director of the National Energy Conservation Center, said, "Actively promoting the green and low-carbon development of data centers, ensuring the entry of new projects, accelerating the energy-saving and carbon reduction transformation of existing projects, and promoting the upgrading of energy consuming equipment can effectively enhance the high-quality development level of the information and communication industry and drive the green and low-carbon transformation of the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain