Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, the infrastructure and the Hitachi Hybrid Cloud Management Subsidiary, Ltd., launched its sustainability report of the fiscal year2024, marking the second edition of its annual reports of progress and transparency of ESG. On the basis of last year’s inaugural report, this year’s edition describes the progress of Hitachi will see in sustainability, highlighting the advances in the energy efficiency infrastructure, reductions in carbon emissions and responsible commercial practices. It shows the key achievements of Hitachi Vantar in the fiscal year2024, including the Energy Star certification for multiple storage solutions, the expansion of the global management of greenhouse gases (GHG) and new sustainability tools that help customers to track the use of energy and carbon.
As companies depend more and more on the and data intensive workloads, energy demand continues to grow, which leads to greater energy costs and a greater environmental impact. According to a 2024 energy department report, data centers consumed 4% of the electricity of the United States last year and could reach up to 12% by 2028. The navigation of this challenge requires solutions that balance performance efficiently, helping organizations to administer the growing data needs while maintaining costs and carbon footprints under control. The new report highlights how Hitachi Vantara is addressing these pressures by offering an energy efficiency infrastructure that not only reduces the environmental impact but also promotes measurable cost savings for customers.
“We are proud of the progress that we have achieved from our sustainability inaugural report, but we know that the trip does not end there,” he said Sheila Rohra, CEO of Hitachi Vantara. “Our approach remains to highlight how sustainability, particularly in the data center, can be a key promoter of innovation and a business differentiator, from reducing carbon emissions to helping companies achieve energy savings, improving operational efficiency and fulfilling their broader sustainability objectives.”
The most prominent aspects of the report include:
- Upper energy star ranking: Several Hitachi Vantara storage solutions obtained the Energy Star certification for their leader in industry and energy efficiency. Hitachi Vantara has the two main classifications for the most efficient energy storage systems in the Energy Star NVSS DISK online 4 category, with the virtual storage platform a block (VSP a block) that ensures the highest place.
- Solar energy distribution center: The last generation solar distribution center of Hitachi Vantarara in the Netherlands generates approximately 30% of the electricity consumption from the solar production on the site. The remaining electricity is obtained through verified energy attributes (EACS) certificates, ensuring that the center operates completely in renewable energy.
- Recycled materials: Currently, 40% by weight of the materials used in the bevels of the storage models of a VSP block and Hitachi Vantara files comes from recycled plastics posterior to consumption. These flame resistant bezels meet safety standards and help limit fire impacts. Hitachi Vantara plans to increase the 50% recycled content for fiscal year 201030 through the expanded use of recycled materials in transmission boats, biomass -based parts and continuous recycling of IT resources.
- Energy consumption and management: In fiscal year2024, Hitachi Vantara consumed 78,211 MWh of energy, with 90% of the electricity of the network and 35% of renewable sources, such as solar energy and wind. In particular, after an update of the 2024 data center in its Denver installation, which optimized physical design, consolidated infrastructure and improved air flow, energy consumption was reduced by 50%and the effectiveness of energy use (PUE) improved from 1.6 to 1.3, demonstrating the impact of energy saving initiatives in Hitachi Vantara operations.
- Carbon neutrality and sustainability objectives: Hitachi Vantara undertakes to achieve carbon neutrality for scope emissions 1 and scope 2 for fiscal year 201030. The company has also established a goal to achieve carbon neutrality in its value chain for fiscal year 2050.
Hitachi’s commitment will vantar with sustainability goes beyond his own operations. Through its engineering products and solutions, the company helps business clients and data centers to reduce their carbon footprints while reducing operational costs and complexities. Some recent examples include:
- La Molisana (Italy): As one of the main paste manufacturers in Italy, the Molisana implemented VSP a block, which resulted in a 30% reduction in energy consumption and an improvement of 2.5x in response times, supporting its global objectives of expansion and sustainability.
- Malayala Manorama (India): This important media company benefited from a new low latency infrastructure, driven by Hitachi Vantara, which led to a 66% reduction in the shelf space and a 70% reduction in energy and cooling costs.
- Elisa Eesti (Estonia): One of the largest telecommunications suppliers in Estonia, Elisa Esti modernized her data infrastructure with the Virtual Storage platform (VSP) of Hitachi Vantara, tripling energy efficiency and significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
“Sustainability was an important factor in our selection of a VSP block,” he said Maurizio Maio, Cio de la Molisana. “Although the energy consumption of our data center is relatively low compared to our manufacturing operations, we are interested in implementing ecological IT solutions.
Although the Sustainability Report of the Fiscal Year2024 is reflected in last year’s achievements, Hitachi Vantar would recently introduce its first Sustainability Commitment of Fy2025: a new guarantee of sustainability that will be offered as part of its storage platform in the future. Available with VSP One, the guarantee allows companies to track and optimize energy consumption. It also guarantees a maximum energy consumption objective, which makes it easier for organizations to achieve their sustainability objectives.
For more information about Hitachi Vantar’s sustainability efforts and see the Fy2024 full sustainability report, visit: https://www.hitachivantara.com/sustainability.
