The data center operator said renewable energy use reached 60% in 2025 as it cut carbon intensity, improved efficiency and advanced circular fuel and waste initiatives.
GDS Holdings said its 2025 sustainability report shows faster progress on decarbonization, including a rise in renewable energy usage to 60%, a reduction in carbon intensity and an upgrade in its MSCI ESG rating to AAA from A. The China-based data center operator said direct green power purchases rose more than 60% year over year and made up 75% of its renewable energy sources, while average Power Usage Effectiveness improved to 1.23 from 1.24 in 2024. It said 90% of its self-developed data centers now meet green building standards and 45 sites have green certification. GDS said these measures helped deliver a 23.1% reduction in carbon intensity versus its 2023 baseline year. The company also highlighted China’s first pilot program using recycled waste cooking oil to produce biodiesel for backup power systems, which it said cuts lifecycle carbon emissions by more than 90% compared with conventional diesel, and said its Shanghai Pujiang Data Center Campus received China’s first Zero Waste to Landfill Management Performance Certification. Alongside the MSCI upgrade, GDS said it maintained a B rating from CDP, was included in the S&P CSA Rating 2025 Yearbook and retained its Moody’s NZA-2 rating, which it said leaves it as the only data center company in the world to pass that net-zero assessment. Chairman and CEO William Huang said the company remains committed to its 2030 carbon neutrality goal.