The DCA – Data Centre Alliance and global climate consultancy the Carbon Trust, have announce a strategic partnership to support the sustainable growth of digital infrastructure and accelerate the transition to Net Zero across the data centre sector.

The collaboration brings together The DCA’s position at the centre of the data centre ecosystem with the Carbon Trust’s global expertise in decarbonisation, enabling a more coordinated and actionable approach to sustainability, energy use, and infrastructure development.

As demand for digital services and AI infrastructure continues to scale, the partnership will focus on aligning growth with credible, measurable sustainability outcomes. This includes supporting operators, investors, and the wider supply chain in navigating increasing regulatory pressure, energy constraints, and carbon reduction targets.

Through this partnership, The DCA and the Carbon Trust will work together to:

• Provide sector-specific guidance on decarbonisation pathways for data centres 
• Support improved measurement, reporting and transparency of emissions and energy use 
• Enable collaboration across operators, suppliers and policymakers 
• Contribute to the development of best practice and standards for sustainable digital infrastructure

The partnership reflects a shared ambition to move beyond high-level commitments and into practical delivery, ensuring that sustainability is embedded within the next phase of data centre and AI infrastructure growth.

Steve Hone, CEO of The DCA – Data Centre Alliance, said:

“Sustainable growth in digital infrastructure is now a strategic requirement, not an aspiration. This partnership brings together the insight, capability and reach needed to help the sector navigate increasing demand while delivering against Net Zero commitments. By working with the Carbon Trust, we can provide our members with clearer pathways, better data, and more coordinated action across the ecosystem.”

Bob Burgoyne, Data Centre Lead at the Carbon Trust said:

“AI adoption is both accelerating the build-out of data centre infrastructure and putting the environmental impact of that build-out in the spotlight. This is a pivotal moment for the sector to fulfil its potential as a leader in the transition to Net Zero, through supporting innovation in our energy system and designing decarbonisation into data centre facilities. Our partnership with The DCA will seize on this potential to develop realistic, tangible initiatives which capitalise on the expertise and ambition among its members.”