As it seeks to conserve energy and water, Equinix will raise the temperature in its data centers, creating a warmer environment for customer IT equipment.

Equinix says it expects to operate its data halls at 80 degrees, warmer than the traditional range of 68 to 72 degrees in enterprise facilities, a move that could help thousands of Equinix customers reduce carbon emissions in their supply chain.

Equinix plans to allay these fears by applying the increased temperatures gradually over several years, explaining that the announcement will have no immediate impact on existing customers.

Customers will be notified when the thermostat is going up at the site where their equipment is hosted.

A temperature of 27°C has been recommended by industry bodies for many years and is approved by hardware manufacturers. It is also used by hyperscale cloud companies that successfully run their equipment in their own facilities at even higher temperatures.

“Equinix will work with enterprises to change the way we think about operating temperatures within data center environments," said Rob Brothers, Program Vice President, Datacenter Services, IDC.

"Starting immediately, Equinix will begin to define a multi-year global roadmap for thermal operations within its data centers aimed at achieving significantly more efficient cooling and decreased carbon impacts," says the press release.

He added that Equinix wants to "change the way we think about operating temperatures within data center environments", saying: "With this initiative, Equinix will play a key role in driving change in the industry and help shape the overall sustainability story we all need to participate in."